WIN THIS CD!Country-influenced Rock: Arms of Kismet's Cutting Room Rug

Listen to this album. Arms of Kismet’s second release, Cutting Room Rug, has a radio theme with hyper disc jock segments voiced by Jack “Sport” Ventura of the Big ). Tune in this album, and you’ll find that Arms of Kismet has a sound that spans the dial. Through all of the static on the airwaves these days, Mark Doyon’s Kismet achieves that all-desired authenicity.

“Auriculara (Listen to Me)” has elements of 80’s synth pop, but like Thomas Dolby and Julian Cope, Doyon uses that synth pop to create a whole world. It’s a tender, hip-shaking opening track that tells someone they are crazy. There’s a well placed yelping “ow” in the chorus, “You must be ow in the head,” replacing the more direct and possibly damaging, “You must be f***ed in the head.”

The album is built in three chapters, and the first set continues with “Outbound Train,” a Western tune plucked on electric guitar with electric wash where the chorus should be. Yet, the song is actually quite melancholy. The train theme continues with the final song in this first segment, “Clover,” a Country Western blues.

In reviewing Arms of Kismet’s first release, Eponymous, I noted the strong similarities to Tom Petty’s voice, style, and Country-influenced Rock sound. Additionally, both Petty and Doyon pull in many other sounds to augment those countrified licks. Eponymous left a whole list of styles in its wake: folk songs with pop beats, dance beat, talky vocals, Celtic, Motown soul, English Rock, and drum ‘n’ bass.

Cutting Room Rug is no different. However, building the album around three chapters groups those varied sounds. The first chapter does shift from 80’s synth pop to CW blues, but there’s an overarching train track travel rhythm. The second chapter delves more into the Country-influenced Rock core to Doyon’s sound. “Coil” is a dark song made for listening to in the car in a deserted parking lot. Then there’s the acoustic plaintive yearning of “Life Imitates.” Finally, this second chapter ends with “Clarendon,” picking up the pace, driving down the road, but with those dark shadows on its tail.

Ventura’s radio segment (“Listen (to That)”) leads into the third chapter saying, “Hold onto your vertigo and spin the wheel!” You certainly could get the rush of staring over the side of a skyscraper as now the sound goes from the more pure Country-influenced Rock to the drum ‘n’ bass of “Cracks.” It’s like the dark shadows caught up to the car, slowed it down, and now we’ve gone into some other-worldly Matrix world, complete with computer blips and beeps. Drum machine beats kick off “Pinnacle of Same,” and then an anthem of keyboards comes in. Hold onto to that vertigo, indeed, since this song’s beginning sounds very much like Carter U.S.M.’s “Sheriff Fatman”—not the comparison you might expect in the Country-influenced Rock category. Yet, don’t let the beats and keys fool you; Doyon’s in fine Petty voice here, letting the American rock ‘n’ roll flow through all these different styles.

The first 2 people to email and request it will receive a copy of this CD courtesy of Mark Doyon, Arms of Kismet, and Wampus Multimedia.


Take a moment to check out the other Wampus releases including After Hours: A Tribute to the Music of Lou Reed. This collection of covers by relatively unknown artists shines despite its nighttime title and the night-haunting Reed. The collection’s light source is Okapi Guitars’ version of “Vicious,” which has acoustic bluesy guitars, reggae drums, and an upbeat roots rock beat, topped off by a Spanish guitar solo, a bass jam, a wah-wah electric, and a fat tenor sax bounce.

Other standout tracks include:
Johnny J. Blair and the Cellarbirds evoke the idyllic paranoia on “Sunday Morning.” “All Tomorrow’s (Beach) Parties” is surf rocked by the Special Agents. Dance beats and funk rock breaks are inserted into “Satellite of Love” by Kowtow Popof, while the vocal lines seem to be inspired by the Carpenters’ “Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft.”