Background Magazine colleague Alison Reijman called Kite Parade's previous album Retro (2023, see review) silky, sophisticated, and melodic, so I was really looking forward to reviewing Disparity, Kite Parade's third album. The band from the south of England is in fact the creative outlet for multi-instrumentalist (guitars, bass guitar, saxophone, keys) and singer/songwriter Andy Foster, whose passion for prog, rock and pop can be heard in the wonderful music of Kite Parade. The opening track, Fraternal Angels, one of the highlights of this album, starts with atmospheric keyboard melodies, before it evolves into a dynamic prog-pop song reminding me of the notorious band It Bites. The two follow up songs are rather short, and Open Your Heart is very "emotional," while Is This All There Is? is even melancholic; the latter featuring vocals by Christina Booth, the vocalist of Magenta. After these slow tracks Kite Parade delivers a catchy, funky up-tempo track called This World Is Mine, followed by another highlight, Broken, which also features female vocals, this time the special guest is Lyndsey Ward from Exploring Birdsong. Broken is a remarkably diverse song, packed with walls of keyboards, beautiful piano passages, edgy guitar lines and a cool saxophone solo. The third stand out song on this album for me is called Make It Beautiful, filled with catchy vocal choruses and beautiful neo prog and AOR musical characteristics. Conclusion: Disparity is a wonderful album, diverse, addictive, melodic and featuring some very catchy melodies and excellent vocals indeed. So, if you like bands like It Bites or Lifesigns then this third album of Kite Parade is a MUST have album indeed. Listening tip: Fraternal Angels. ***+ Martien Koolen (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
