KAMP is a solo project from singer/songwriter John Kampouropoulos (ex-lead singer of the Greek alternative rock band “Closer) who I was lucky enough to interview and you can check that out here. KAMP has performed as a band with members Nikos Nikolaidis on Guitar, Nikos Palyvos on Bass and Antonis Dounias on Drums. Other old members include Nikos Koutsopodiotis, Nikos Homenidis, Mambre Kassarjian and Michael Evdemon. I’ve also reviewed John a separate release from John Kampouropoulos which you can check out here. Kamp started in 2012 but was officially disbanded as a project in November 2017, however before that they released their debut album ‘REAPPEAR’ on the 11th March 2014 and released their second album ‘Clairvoyance’ on the 25th August 2016 and it’s that release which I will be talking about today.
‘Nonsense’ just flowed exceptionally well, a wonderful opening track that just eases you into the album. I felt like this would be really good on the soundtrack for some TV show or movie. About halfway through the track it picks up a little before dropping back down just in case you were getting lost gentle melody of the track. Its definitely a song for reflection.
‘Humans’ has a bit more of a twang than the last track, it just feels a little more upbeat, it gets you up and moving and is a perfect track for going out and wandering. The guitar riff spliced throughout was particularly good and I can’t speak highly enough of how much I liked this track. The actually music felt very playful which may or may not have been meant to counterpoint the message in the lyrics. Personally I really liked it.
‘Intercourse’ different again from the previous two tracks, which I appreciate because it means I don’t run out of things to say, this track starts off a little light and sleepy before getting a little heavier close to the two minute mark, this is a very classic track and has its own distinct and esoteric energy which I really love. It did tell me to shut my mouth though and I’m not sure how I feel about that, joking aside I really liked everything about this track, it wasn’t just one thing but the whole combination that left it dripping in awesomeness.
‘Show Reason’ has a surprisingly funky little guitar riff intro that I enjoyed immensely, I like how the band aren’t afraid to play around with their style across their album, I mean you don’t know what works if you stick to one way of doing things. That being said while so far they’ve managed to make each track its own, they each have their own internal composition and style which is consistent and is very impressive.
‘Fool’ keeps up the trend of being different and again i loved it. This is another track that seems playful on the face of it and I think that it’d be for a live performance, just something about it has me picturing a pub packed with punters swaying along to this track. Now you don’t need to be a fool to enjoy this, it just works really well the right balance of upbeat and down that keeps you on your toes.
‘Million Times’ It really keeps impressive me, the sheer breadth of style and energy this band bring to this album, Million Times opens with a psychedelic chant, before breaking into hard shredding guitar. This is definitely a personal favourite of the album. I can’t decide whether this is one of those tracks you just sit back and experience or one that you get up and jump about, and maybe that’s this tracks magic, you can do either because there’s something there for everyone.
‘Waste land’ Opens on a fast paced, drilling drum beat before giving way to the vocalist who’s delivering another great performance. Waste land’s are usually desolate dead places but this track is fully of life and energy and you can really feel it, I believe that this track is another candidate for the perfect for a live venue category.
‘Galileo’ just because of the track name made me think of bohemian rhapsody so it instantly earned some brownie points. it opened on a fairly light cymbal tapping, which was a little unexpected after the hard drumbeat of the previous track, but it was welcome nonetheless. I liked this track, and it proved that the band like to balance up the tracks in the album, something light, then something a little heavier and so on so that you’re never getting too much of one, and so that each song acts as a palate cleanser for the ears, so that you’re experiencing each song freshly.
‘Release Me’ had an intriguing title and sweet little opening that was both simple and engaging, I think this some matches up very well with the first track on the album, both are very introspective and would do very well on some TV soundtrack. Release me though definitely earns a place on my personal favourites for the album.
‘Happy’ is incredibly melodic, and it’s ironic that it’s called Happy because it’s fiercely melancholic and does a great job of giving off the intended emotion, it’s not just meant to be sad but make you think as well. I got the line ‘farewell old times, take care pretty eyes’ stuck in my head and It’ll probably be stuck in there for a while. I loved this track and it’s definitely one of those tracks I talked about earlier where you just sit back, close your eyes and experience it.
‘Clairvoyance’ is the titular track on the album which means it has a lot on its metaphorically shoulders, it needs to be good or it looks bad for the album and I’m very proud to say it did not disappoint in the slightest. It’s very melancholic, like the previous track, but has a lot more energy. I keep coming back to how well the band balance distinct styles and this track just proves it again.
‘Pain’ was not painful to listen to, sorry about the weak pun, i couldn’t resist. This track changes up things again, it reminded me of a song that I couldn’t quite place but enjoyed either way. I enjoyed pain, it was a little unexpected but it was a really good track particularly as you’re coming closer to the end of the album.
‘Faith’ shares its name with a very famous song by George Michael so I needed it to be just as good and it didn’t let me down, and while both tracks shared the same name this track was something very different indeed. This track has two vocalists, and they compliment each other very well. Faith was sweet and touching and again was an excellent choice for the 2nd to last track on the album.
‘Chasing Tails’ opens on some swinging guitars and a nice little drumbeat, the vocals kick in but are a little indistinct to begin with before they grow up volume and clarity and all packed together create a tight and enjoyable track. Overall I think this was a fine track to end on because it balanced the styles that the band have played with across the album and gave you something nice to listen to on the way out.
So that’s what I thought of KAMP’s album ‘Clairvoyance’ and if you want to check that out then head on over to Bandcamp. Even though the project is no longer together you can still show your support by following them on Facebook and Twitter.
First Published on: https://www.newhellfireclub.co.uk
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