Review by Shannon Shumaker
I’m a sucker for albums that start and end strong, and Prawn’s newest release, Kingfisher does both of those things, making this album a real stand out for me. The first track on Kingfisher is “Scud Running” and it starts soft and simple, just a clean guitar and simple drums, and when the rest of the music kicks in, I’m already bobbing my head along to the tune. The first thing that really stands out about Prawn is the soft, mellow quality of their music and the way it contrasts beautifully with vocalist Tony Clark’s voice. And as if “Scud Running” wasn’t already the perfect opening song, the string and horn instruments come in and exceed all of my expectations.
Kingfisher is really just pleasant and easy to listen to. Some tracks are very bass driven while other are carried by the clean lead guitar and rough vocals, making for an amazing mixture. A good example of the beautiful sweeping lead guitar parts would be in the second track on the record, “First As Tragedy, Second As Farce.” The track is a little bit more upbeat than “Scud Running” and almost reminds me of bands such as Transit or Turnover. The rougher vocals and beautiful harmonies set Prawn apart from other acts, though, making them unique, and the vocals are especially strong on the second track while Clark holds out gorgeous long notes against the fast-paced guitar parts.
The only complaint I really have with Kingfisher is that it never really seems to hit a definitive peak. While the album as a whole has a very cool mellow and surreal quality about it, there aren’t really any specific tracks that stand out from the bunch and give it that wow factor. That being said though, Prawn does manage to set themselves apart in the way that their songs are constructed. Despite the fact that a lot of the tracks on this album have the same guitar tones and are pretty stripped down, none of them sound the same or blend together. Prawn still managed to create an album with ten unique and gorgeous songs that really set them apart from other acts in their genre, making Kingfisher is the perfect album for all occasions – whether you’re sitting at home on a rainy Sunday afternoon, driving down the highway with your windows down, or relaxing in bed after a long day. Prawn’s Kingfisher is bound to relax you and put you in a good mood.
Rating: 4/5
Listen to “First As Tragedy, Second As Farce”