#kicklighter

Kicklighter To Release Two Albums of New Songs Starting with Paper Planes Volume 1

Florida-based artist Everett Young is known as Kicklighter and has unleashed 22 new songs, written to get all his experiences up to that point out of his system before moving on to his real musical love: orchestral music.

On reflecting on these new songs in early 2018, Everett realised they had an instrumental quality, which he realised reflected his early enjoyment of film composers such as John…

Artist: Kicklighter

Album: The Fascinating Thinking Machine

Review by: Heath Andrews

The Fascinating Thinking Machine is not a very good pop record; or at least by today’s standards.  The lyrics are contemplative and deep, the music incorporates elements of ‘80s pop, soft jazz, and adult contemporary rock, the instrumentation is varied, and the vocals are often gentle and expressive.  Compare that to other pop fare in 2014 and Kicklighter’s release just doesn’t fit in; but that’s exactly the way it’s supposed to be.

Kicklighter is the name given to the work of singer-songwriter and guitarist, Everett Young.  Disappointed with the current state of pop music, he seeks to change the musical landscape as much as he can through his dynamic songwriting and musical sound.  At its best, The Fascinating Thinking Machine incorporates elements of different genres with relative ease, at its worst, it sounds a little unfocused and loses some of its creative steam in the latter half.

“Until You See The Sun” opens the record with a set of ominous keyboards and strings.  Before long it transitions into a peppier synthpop melody that matches a plucky and funky guitar riff with atmospheric keys. In this regard it resembles earlier Tears For Fears output in the best possible way.  And like that group, Kicklighter is able to craft a series of relentless hooks, propelled with a youthful intensity.

The following track, “Says a Tender Mind” is similarly hooky with its strong drum kick, rumbling guitar, and various keyboards.  Young utilizes a slightly different vocal tone, one that seems to speak from experience when he sings, “This is a world without any right angles…” The track does an excellent job of showcasing some of the quality musicianship here by coupling together a keyboard solo that segues into a brief but stirring guitar solo.  It effectively hits all the notes it needs to with just the right degree of sophistication.

That sophistication takes center stage on the provocative follow-up, “Building a Robot.”  Here we have Kicklighter opening with acoustic guitar, and though the song moves into a fuller arrangement, it’s one that’s less keyboard adorned than the ones prior.  Young’s vocals are soothing and his lyrics probe various elements of humanity juxtaposed with imagery of building a machine.  The piece is remarkably insightful, bolstered by the catchy yet mildly sad melody.

Continuing the streak of excellence is a one-two combination of slightly jazz tinged pieces, “The Sultan of Brunei” and “After The Healing.”  The former is a rather eclectic piece, notable for its memorable vocal hook and smooth mood.  The icing on the cake is another well executed guitar solo; further evidence of Kicklighter’s instrumental talents.  “After The Healing” takes the album in a completely different direction, entering into a lush, orchestral place where the soft jazz tones are met with stirring strings and emotional piano.  In many ways it’s the album’s centerpiece, given how powerfully conceived the lyric is and how perfectly matched it is to the melody.

The rest of the album doesn’t quite live up to the punch of the first half.  For example, “When Howie Dressed Me Down” has a funky little riff and sports another strong guitar solo but it’s not as memorable as something like “Says a Tender Mind.”  And “The Professor” for its exotic steel drum sounds, layered guitars and vocal change-up don’t hit home as hard as “Sultan of Brunei.”  That’s not to say that either of these songs are bad by any means they’re just not as comparatively strong.

It’s worth noting that The Fascinating Thinking Machine closes on a beautifully poignant note entitled, “Saying Goodbye.”  The entire song is soft and soothing, serviced well by the soft keys and harmonica. Young’s voice is very subdued and wistful; it’s contemplatively looking back, and the soft guitar that underscores his vocals carries a serene tone along with it. 

If this is too much of a somber note for some to round the album off on, there’s still the bonus track, “The Libertarian.”  It’s easy to see why it was left off the general track list, as its bouncy, playful, yet rocking nature doesn’t quite fit in and around the other ten tracks. Its inclusion is appreciated however as the song is terrifically engaging, fun, and sports more full and approximate rhymes for libertarian than you would ever have thought of.

Kicklighter accomplished exactly what it set out to do by creating and releasing The Fascinating Thinking Machine.  This album is frequently brilliant and never anything less than good.  Everett Young shows wonderful talent as a musician and songwriter throughout the record and the depth of what he creates is often only matched by its beauty.  Even if the first half of the album, and the first two songs especially sport a stronger series of hooks, the remainder is still creative, entertaining, and bristling with energy.  Kicklighter has a heck of a job ahead of itself if it wants to influence popular music today, but this album is a powerful step in the right direction.

Rating: 4 Stars (out of 5)

My wish for you will never die It swims inside your blood  Say what you won't live without  Find the thing you love  Your loving heart tells who you are  So listen to no one  Decide, then drive, drive all night  Until you see the sun 

Governor Abercrombie, Lt. Gen. Kicklighter and MG Wong hold the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration Flag. As the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War begins, the Hawaii Department of Defense Office of Veterans Services has formed a 50th State Commemorative Committee with partners in the military, community and industry to plan major events from 2015 to 2017 to pay tribute to the service and sacrifices of these brave men and women. A representation of the Vietnam Service Medal (ribbon) rests below the inner rings.  The red, white, and blue inner rings represent the flag of the United States of America and recognize all Americans, both military and civilian, who served or contributed to the Vietnam War effort. The outer black ring serves as a reminder of those who were held as prisoners of war or listed as missing in action during the Vietnam War. The black ring surrounds the red, white, and blue rings to call attention to their sacrifices, the sacrifices of their families, and the defense of our nation’s freedom. Within the blue ring are the words "Service, Valor and Sacrifice"; virtues demonstrated by our veterans during the Vietnam War. The gold-rimmed white star located between the words "Service" and "Valor" represents hope for the families of those veterans for which there has not been a full accounting. The blue-rimmed gold star located between the words "Valor" and "Sacrifice" represents the families of those veterans who paid the ultimate sacrifice during the war. The blue star at the bottom of the inner blue ring represents the families of all veterans and symbolizes their support from home

At the bottom of the inner blue ring are six white stars, three on each side of the blue star. These six white stars symbolize the contributions and sacrifices made by the United States and its Allies, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Republic of Korea, and Thailand. 

         When given a second chance in life, some people work to transform their life for the better while others tend to let that chance slip out of their fingers and fall back into their old ways. In the case of Everett Young, a former professor who decided to embark on a solo music journey called Kicklighter, he made sure his second chance would not go to waste.

     This project, which began much later for Young than it does for most musicians, was named after the musician’s high school chorus teacher Ray Kickliter. Although the two never fully saw eye to eye, the teacher was the one who essentially taught Young how to sing. What eventually resulted for Young was this project, which carries a vintage sound rooted with a mix between Elvis Costello and Tears For Fears.

     With this release, Young’s goal was to create captivating 80’s pop music while still creating thoughtfully written, reflective lyrics. Young introduces the album with “Until You See The Sun,” a song written for his two daughters. He encourages them to find what makes them happy and to live their whole lives working to fulfil that dream. In “Building A Robot,” Young sings of all the human factors added into the system of a robot in order to make it seem more human. And “After The Healing” was written about a recurring dream Young had where he would reunite with his long lost love years down the road and they would mend their broken relationship.

     From the jazz-infused “Sultan of Brunei” to the energetic “Says A Tender Mind,” Young traverses various areas of 80’s pop. He also shares a toned-down side of his music with numerous tracks like “Until You See The Sun,” “After The Healing,” “Building A Robot,” and “Saying Goodbye.” These calmer tracks also happen to be some of Young’s most notable work. Not only is this album compiled of crisp recordings, but the songs themselves are also well-composed and well-written. For a guy who has struggled all his life with relationships and work, Young can officially add a positive notch to his belt for this successful release.

  Review by Alec Cunningham