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They rock like early Radiohead, they’ve toured with Fightstar, and they think they could make it to the Christmas number 1 spot.

Laura N reviews the lesbian-fronted alt-indie-rock band Kenelis to see what all the fuss is about…

Kenelis’ debut album ‘Remember how it felt’ combines heavy guitars, great drumming and a nice balance of slow/wistful and angry/angsty songs. Lead singer Mal Sanson is able to sing delicate haunting melodies, and then blasts out screaming with a rawness not unlike Courtney Love and Brody Dalle.

The first track ‘Corporate cancer’ starts out slightly reminiscent of the Butchies fourth album ‘Make Yr Life’ but then it kicks in with more guitars for a heavier and much rockier sound. This track and ‘Colours’ are two of the best and most unique tracks from the album. ‘Colours’ has great drums and vocals; it starts out melancholy with quiet broken-sounding vocals and gets progressively stronger, ending with a more uplifting mood.

‘Nobody sees me (but you)’ was Kenelis’ debut single from this album. With its powerful soaring guitars, emotive vocals and an ethereal melody, it has a 90s indie feel that is reminiscent of Radiohead and Placebo, while still emerging with an original sound.

‘Drained’ - the new single and slowest song on the album - starts with a guitar intro that sets the scene for a song which maintains a floaty relaxed feel. At the same time it pleasantly surprises with a nice acoustic rhythm in the background and fuzzy guitars upfront, under smooth vocals.

A very thoughtful song with a reasonably upbeat tone to it, ‘Drained’ is a good choice for a single. If you were to listen to it loudly on your headphones (not recommended for ear-health reasons) while walking along the street, it would give you that sort of ‘crescendo in your heart’ feeling which may burst into an inappropriate smile at a total stranger.

It’s an uplifting and optimistic song, feelings which the band themselves obviously share - they’re hoping to sell 275,000 copies and make it the the top of the singles chart for Christmas.

Watch the video for ‘Drained’:

‘Drained’ is from the debut album ‘Remember how it felt’, released from the Kenelis’ own record label Black Grass Roots. The new single will be available from 15 December 08 at a snip for 79p from www.myspace.com/kenelis, where you can also find details of their upcoming gigs.

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