KITE 2 EP PROGRESS RELEASE: OCTOBER 16, 2009 REVIEW: SEPTEMBER 25, 2009

Kite are doing things a little bit different. Instead of releasing an album, they release their songs in shorter bursts in the form of EP:s. I kinda like it, because we get the results faster than if we would have to wait for an entire album to be finished, and it makes for a more focused experience.

On this their second release, appropriately named "2", they continue their melodic synthpop in the vein of Erasure et al. They have a sort of almost naive style, with deceptively simple arrangements and melodies, but it's also brutally effective. Niklas Stenemo's voice brings a whole new dynamic to it as well, and he really comes into his own on the sort of countryesque "Hills", maybe a bit reminiscent of Niklas' earlier project The Mo.

The big hit this time around is "Cannonballs", a splendidly infectious pop song that they premiered live earlier this year. Great stuff indeed, but I'm sorry, my heart belongs to "I Give You the Morning", their cover of Tom Paxton's classic song. Kite's take on it is simply marvelous, and the last two minutes of it gives me goose bumps every time.

This EP is a bit more upbeat and catchy than the first, but the dizzying heights of "Ways to Dance" is not present here, although it's no doubt that Kite is one of the finest electronic bands working right now.

JOHAN CARLSSON