Art-rock collective Bent Knee colors a schizophrenic canvas of musical influences and sonic personality. Former Steve Vai disciple Ben Levin balances shredding with squiggly guitar loops and appreciates Kendrick Lamar and Sufjan Stevens. Bassist/singer Jessica Kion admires both Stevens and Tune-Yards. Violinist Chris Baum favors moody Nordic bands Sigur Rós and Efterklang, while drummer Gavin Wallace-Ailsworth draws from Peter Gabriel’s polyrhythmic grooves. And sound designer Vince Welch values Nine Inch Nails and Porcupine Tree.
“There’s very little overlap in what we listen to as individuals or our musical training or background,” says singer/keyboardist Courtney Swain, who grew up in Japan before studying classical composition and voice at Berklee, where she met her bandmates. She cites eclectic Japanese singer Ringo Sheena as her primary inspiration. “I appreciated how different and nonconformist and how dark she is,” Swain says, labeling qualities that fit her own band’s communal identity.
Bent Knee’s dynamic third album, Say So, released in May on experimental Maryland label Cuneiform, floats echoes of Far Eastern music (including the grand rhythmic and choral flourishes of “The Things You Love”), but despite her skyscraper voice, Swain doesn’t dominate the band’s sound. Songwriting is particularly democratic for the sextet, which finalized its membership five years ago.
“We can’t create the sound of Bent Knee without everyone’s input, so we write by consensus,” Swain says. However, Welch gets added say-so when it comes to recording. “The way we write is like sculpting,” Swain says, noting they “overwrite and track as much as we can in one [studio] day, and Vince will go and peel through the layers and see what will work.”
In turn, Swain anchors Bent Knee’s storm, swooping from cabaret calm to gale-whipped summits, but she says, “I feel like a vehicle more than the center of attention. I see my voice as an instrument, and when I emote, I sing as all of us.”
Striking a Chord
Catch 10 Local Bands Making Waves.
By Paul Robicheau | Photo Credit: Chris Anderson | Aug. 1, 2016
Bent Knee
Art-rock collective Bent Knee colors a schizophrenic canvas of musical influences and sonic personality. Former Steve Vai disciple Ben Levin balances shredding with squiggly guitar loops and appreciates Kendrick Lamar and Sufjan Stevens. Bassist/singer Jessica Kion admires both Stevens and Tune-Yards. Violinist Chris Baum favors moody Nordic bands Sigur Rós and Efterklang, while drummer Gavin Wallace-Ailsworth draws from Peter Gabriel’s polyrhythmic grooves. And sound designer Vince Welch values Nine Inch Nails and Porcupine Tree.
“There’s very little overlap in what we listen to as individuals or our musical training or background,” says singer/keyboardist Courtney Swain, who grew up in Japan before studying classical composition and voice at Berklee, where she met her bandmates. She cites eclectic Japanese singer Ringo Sheena as her primary inspiration. “I appreciated how different and nonconformist and how dark she is,” Swain says, labeling qualities that fit her own band’s communal identity.
Bent Knee’s dynamic third album, Say So, released in May on experimental Maryland label Cuneiform, floats echoes of Far Eastern music (including the grand rhythmic and choral flourishes of “The Things You Love”), but despite her skyscraper voice, Swain doesn’t dominate the band’s sound. Songwriting is particularly democratic for the sextet, which finalized its membership five years ago.
“We can’t create the sound of Bent Knee without everyone’s input, so we write by consensus,” Swain says. However, Welch gets added say-so when it comes to recording. “The way we write is like sculpting,” Swain says, noting they “overwrite and track as much as we can in one [studio] day, and Vince will go and peel through the layers and see what will work.”
In turn, Swain anchors Bent Knee’s storm, swooping from cabaret calm to gale-whipped summits, but she says, “I feel like a vehicle more than the center of attention. I see my voice as an instrument, and when I emote, I sing as all of us.”
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