Knesset – Coming Of Age

Search online for ‘Knesset’ and you will get a plethora of reading material describing parliamentary processes in Israel. Naturally, one would be curious as to why the band Knesset chose this as their moniker to welcome the world to their brand of indie shoegaze. The awkwardness of the band’s identity is extinguished quickly in the opening minutes of their debut Coming of Age which starts the proceedings with a classic retro electric piano sound; one of the band’s weapons of choice. What follows is an album that many veteran groups would be proud to call their own.

Coming of Age has the character of a well designed indie record which is somewhat surprising seeing as how they are based in Phoenix, Arizona; a relative unknown in the music world. Nevertheless, Evan Fox expertly crafts melodic tunes amidst layers of guitar alarms and noise-pop while also offering tight, clean indie gems. Throw in a few epics nearing the 6 minute mark where the various echoes and voices play by committee and you have an overall texture comparable to something from Broken Social Scene. The formula changes slightly from each track with songs like ‘San Francisco’ maintaining a minimal, clean sound through the finish juxtaposed with ‘Bitter Hearts’ which features changes in tempo and an artillery of layered guitar noise.

There is comfort in the melodic underpinnings that permeate virtually every track, though not enough to invoke a spontaneous sing-a-long. Pleasant and enjoyable, Coming of Age does not completely hook you in and the desire to listen to the album on repeat is easily curable. However, Knesset’s weakness is also it’s strength. The band seems to subscribe to the notion that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and their success relies on a lack of a podium for individual tracks; call it indie impressionism. The album is definitely worth the small change asked for on their Bandcamp page. The only question worth debating is whether Knesset is content to play the role of an underdog or will their debut project them into the spotlight.