Kings Kaleidoscope - Live In Color

It surprised me that the first band that wasn't Emery related to sign to Bad Christian was Mars Hill worship collective Kings Kaleidoscope. It doesn't seem to fit with what I had expected from the new label. It only proves that I know nothing.

I did a mini crash course in Kings Kaleidoscope when I found out that the band had signed to Bad Christian and I enjoyed what I heard.

The band's new ep, Live In Color, is fantastic. It's creative, outside the box worship. And anyone who's read this blog for any length of time knows that I love it when worship gets taken out of the box and than kick around.

Jazzy, marching band indie rock. That's what Kings Kaleidoscope is. Sort of.

Fix My Eyes opens the record with piano and vocals. A simple intro that's beautiful. A string section accompanies the the piano. It sounds like the strings are slightly out of tune with the rest of the song. It's a theme that shows up throughout the ep. Things sound like they don't belong, just ever so slightly, creating an interesting tension in the soundscape.

The minor chord progression on Felix Culpa is different and interesting and creates this beautiful juxtaposition when the horns come in and the key switches to a major on the chorus. THere's a great classic motown vibe that I get on instrumental interlude. It's nothing like I've ever heard in worship music before. Seek The Kingdom is very orchestral in it's intro before switching into something that resembles standard indie rock. The crescendo at the end of the song is a beautiful tangle of organized chaos. The interplay between the horns and the guitar is well done. Defender sounds like Sufjan Stevens cranked to 11!

Be Thou My Vision is my favorite hymn and I have a special place in my heart for Pedro the Lion's version. But Kings Kaleidoscope does it justice. Beautiful movement as the song slowly builds before completely coming undone on the last verse. The ambient guitar that runs through the first half og Higher Throne, the album's closer, is breathtaking.

Live In Color was a joy to listen to and I imagine it will find a place in my regular worship rotation. It's a great ep! It was a nice surprise from Bad Christian and if we can expect more great music like this from the label in the future than I'm excited.

You can download Live In Color at http://kingsk.bandcamp.com/album/live-in-color