I Am Kloot

During their five year career, I Am Kloot have somehow managed to fly under the radar, whether they wanted to or not. There has been no shortage of critical acclaim for the Manchester trio, but unfortunately they constantly get overshadowed by whichever band makes it onto the cover of the UK music press, despite recording some of the more intriguing music over there. Gods and Monsters is the second album by I Am Kloot to reach North American shores this year, although it is really the band’s third record because their real debut somehow managed to get left on the other side of the Atlantic. Still, with each album managing to surpass its predecessor, it isn’t the problem it might have been. Gods and Monsters is a strange album in that it sounds like it doesn’t want to be loved. Most songs have sparse production that doesn’t just have rough edges, it has sharp points that stops the music from being too comfortable. Add to that Johnny Bramwell’s pointed lyrics and the resulting record is one that lacks the charm of the band’s earlier releases. Yet it is a more satisfying album because it finds them finally managing to escape the ill-deserved Badly Drawn Boy comparisons and get the attention they so richly deserve.