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On their newest album which comes packaged in an Akarma style cardboard digipack, Kinski’s self aware restatement of the past 40 years of German, Japanese and American psych and rock has never been stripped so bare, nor has it manifested such a unique voice.

Opener “Hot Stenographer” takes the heady, tremelo-ed intro to “Semaphore” (from their last album) and adds a biker-gang swagger. This Motorhead-ish vibe shifts halfway through by way of a blatant reference to King Crimson’s “Twentieth Century Schizoid Man.” It’s been said before, but I’ll repeat it: of all the possible bands currently playing psychedelic music, Kinski perfectly fits Sub Pop. While developing their distinct personality in the midst of bands like Acid Mothers Temple, Subarachnoid Space, Bardo Pond and even more widely known bands like Mogwai or Sigur Ros, Kinski’s take on krautrock and psyche is heavily peppered with an American rock sound, not terribly distant from the foundations that bands like Mudhoney and Nirvana were built on.

But, Kinski can also lay down the sonic sprawl, as they do a bit more on the second half of the album, particularly with “All Your Kids Have Turned to Static” and “Waka Nusa,” where narcotic loops and layered hush create a hypnotic wash.

Having fully hit their stride with their second album (which has recently been reissued on Strange Attractors Audio House along with their debut), Kinski are enjoying an impressive string of fantastic albums that continue to push the sound ahead in exciting ways.

kinski at Amazon & Insound