to close up a loose thread, i think i can finally present a thorough opinion of bent knee.

the music is not flashy, but it's very ornate; you can tell that they're a bunch of music grads, for better or worse, whether they're going into interludes right out of debussy, or ripping hard on the cardiacs. but, as mentioned previously, the band is primarily the vehicle for the singer, who is operating very firmly in a soul-influenced singer/songwriter context. for me, it was somewhat of a process to orient myself properly to this, as i don't normally listen to this type of music. once you get your head into it, though, what's revealed is a lot of density in the writing that's maybe more in the paradigm of a trent reznor or a peter gabriel (or perhaps a ryan lott) than anything else, which i'm realizing just right this minute is kind of fleeting, nowadays.

the discography is actually pretty diverse, but also fairly uneven. after what i'd argue is a fairly weak first record, they seem to have hit a high point on their second disc, which i'm increasingly wondering if i had maybe actually come into contact with before. the third disc is frontloaded, before exploring east asian music on the second half in a way that doesn't always sound genuine, even if it clarifies some of the debussy drops on the second disc. their fourth record is a lot poppier in ways that don't always work out, whereas their fifth is more riff-oriented, without being more compelling. while there are moments on the third, fourth and fifth records, i would really only see myself coming back to the second one.

so, would this have been worth seeing live? i might have wanted to go on an adventure to ann arbor, and it might have been a good excuse to do it. but, i would have liked them better a few years ago, i think.

this one is legitimately worth checking out:
https://bentknee.bandcamp.com/album/shiny-eyed-babies