WIN THIS CD! Country-influenced Rock: Arms of Kismet's Eponymous

I have 2 copies of this CD to giveaway. (See below for names of winners) Arms of Kismet is Mark Doyon’s band. Doyon, also an author (see below), has created Eponymous, a debut album of self-described “guerilla folk ’n’ roll.” Failing to have such a category in The Spectrum, I listened intently to sort out the influences to yield the core sound of Kismet. The following is a quick run down of what I could hear.

“Karma Never Forgets” takes the folk song and puts it to a pop song beat, which David Wilcox among other folk artists isn’t afraid of doing (Wilcox is referenced in the next track, “Beautiful Career”).

“Beautiful Career” has a dance beat with talky-type vocals, and puts me in mind of The Fall or Iggy Pop or something. (You could argue against that comparison, but I’m still trying to come up with the sound I hear in this track).

“Sail Seven” includes sections of chant/rap that sound like the Celtic-influenced band Seven Nations.

Does “Foldback” have a Smokey Robinson, Motown tune as the chorus? Or is that a Beatles tune I’m thinking of?

“Are You My God?” is English Rock, similar to something from Coldplay with a repeating distortion pattern underneath sweeping vocals.

After all of those comparisons, though, Doyon keeps coming back to a basic sound: a voice like Tom Petty with the guitar leads to back it up. Even on the drum ‘n’ bass of “Standby,” that beat is simply thrown underneath the Petty-thing. Following where Petty has already gone, Doyon has that same wide ranging rock which can go from rootsy to keyboard/programming heavy to slide guitar country-style. Further listening helps bring out the cohesiveness of the album that can be lost on the first time through plus gives a glimpse of Doyon’s humor, characters, and musical chops.

The religious/spiritual dimensions of this album will have to wait for a future posting.

The first 2 people to email me were Ron of Decatur, IN, and Chad. They will each receive a free copy of this CD. Thanks to Mark Doyon and Arms of Kismet.

You can also find out more about Bonneville Stories, Doyon’s fiction.