Album Review: David Kilgour and The Heavy Eights "End Times Undone"

Reviewed by Elizabeth Klisiewicz

2014 is a marvelous year for Kiwi pop. Not only do we have two glorious compilations by The Clean and The Bats, but we have solo albums by all THREE members of The Clean. I feel like I've hit a musical bonanza with all these riches. David Kilgour dropped this quiet beauty in early August, and the album's opener, "Like Rain" counts as one of his best compositions. It is every bit as good as the classics he's penned in The Clean, and equals any of his solo efforts. It has that chiming majesty I adore, and starts off slowly. The listener is not sure what to expect, and then, bam! The song really kicks into gear. I suppose Kilgour can pen these tunes in his sleep, but who cares? They are my sonic bread and butter, and I can listen to him all day.

We then have "Lose Myself in Sound", a mid-tempo rocker with hushed vocals. Kilgour is never in your face, but that doesn't mean his sometimes quiet compositions don't register on all levels. It just takes longer sometimes, like this pretty tune and all the others that follow in its wake. Like maybe "Light Headed", a sleepy ballad with drums pounding like distant thunder. Imagine lazing in a hammock with this music curling around your ears, and you get the idea. This is music for lingering on the beach, or in any favorite place that gives you peace. "Christopher Columbus" is another quiet stunner with more jangly guitars, something I never seem to tire of. Then we have "Crow", a slightly ominous tune in a minor key where the vocals don't start up until later in the song. It's a bit different from the other songs, and now it makes you want to sleep with one eye open. Ooh, then David ups the energy with "Dropper", one of his endless classics with extremely cool guitar. "Comin' On" returns us to gentler waters, followed by the sparse "I Don't Want to Live Alone". Kilgour and his band close out the album with "Some Things You Don't Get Back", which borrows its opening melody from The Clean. But no matter, this is a satisfying and lovely piece of work from David and The Heavy Eights.

"End Times Undone" is available on vinyl, and C.D.