KENNA – “Hellbent”
It’s a very simple song, alternating between dreamy, ambient verses and chunky, 12/8-driven refrains, along with a simple 303 bridge. Doesn’t sound like mush to describe it, but Kenna appears to be one of those rare songwriters who knows that simplicity can be more powerful than complexity. Of special note is the singing; it isn’t that Kenna has an amazing voice (he doesn’t) as much as it is that he harmonizes with himself in a wildly appealing manner. Yes, the song is another expression of alienation and loss of control in the lucid-Radiohead vein, but I can’t fault a mildly derivative message when the overall package is so tailor-made for my tastes. At the very least, it’s light-years more interesting than The Strokes.