KIT

When I listen to KIT's Broken Voyage, I keep thinking they're from Japan. Which isn't the case: it says "Bay Area" prominently on the jacket. There's plenty of American bands that have taken tips from the candy-noise pioneers on the other side of the Pacific, juxtaposing the discordant and sugary. But usually, the American music still sounds juxtaposed, as if assembled from various jigsaw puzzles with no real desire to make the pieces really fit. Maybe it involves...

If only Oakland's KIT had been invited to a pep rally back in high school. The group's riotous cheerleader spunk and damaged pop would have toppled the festivities extravagantly. The marching band would have been toast as KIT kicked off the anarchic hoopla with strewn confetti, broken megaphones, and duct-taped party favors. But the quartet isn't just a remedy for teen spirit. Broken Voyage, the Oakland noiseniks' debut on the London label Upset the Rhythm, unites...

Kit is an Oakland, Calif., combo with connections to XBXRX. And while its sound is not quite as spasmodic as that of that legendary Alabama unit, it does have a ferocious edge and a tendency to compact big songs into short bursts. There are 11 tunes here, which take about 22 minutes to unwind, and they combine the feel of Olympia’s more experimental groups with mangy Brit-style DIY-punk and casual-tossed female vocals. The result is a blend that gets more addictive the more you taste it...