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Kyte - Two Sparks, Two Stars EP (Kids)
UK release date: 1 December 2008
4 stars
Kyte - Two Sparks, Two Stars EP

track listing

1. Eyes Lose Their Fire
2. Bridges In The Sky
3. Solsbury Hill
4. Lights Outside Here
If there is any justice in this world, then by this time next year Kyte will be flying high, and will be the band that is on everyone's lips.

Having impressed greatly on the live circuit, not least with their stunning support sets with iLikeTrains earlier in the year, it's great to see that Kyte have returned with a simply stunning EP.

If their debut single on Sonic Cathedral promised much and their self titled mini album hinted at greatness, then this EP represents a further step towards becoming recognised as one of the UK's most exciting new bands.

There are of course different kinds of exciting, and if it's jumping about in a mosh pit you're after then stop reading now. If on the other hand you enjoy having your heartstrings plucked by vast soundscapes, gentle vocals and soaring melodies, then Kyte have a treat in store for you.

There's no getting away from the fact that they sound a little bit like Sigur Ros here and there, particularly on the opening track Eyes Lose Their Fire. A slow build of guitar noise builds into a chiming epic, given a warm edge by the vocals of Nick Moon. If your eyes lose their fire by the end of the track it's because they're welling with tears.

Bridges in The Sky is a more electronic take on Kyte's sound, which is far from surprising given the banks of keyboards they hunch over in a live setting. It does set them apart from that particular Icelandic benchmark though hinting more at a Krautrock approach.

Ordinarily cover versions are a bad idea, but with their take on Peter Gabriel's Solsbury Hill Kyte pull off something quite spectacular. Tender, heartbreaking, and utterly compelling from first bar to last, Gabriel's tale of his departure from Genesis finds a safe place to call home in Kyte's re-interpretation.

They wrap things up with the suitable indulgent, but equally fabulous Lights Outside Here which blends their post-rock approach with looped drum beats and showcases both sides of Kyte's raison d'être perfectly.

For a band to suddenly break all it takes is a spark, Kyte have two, and they should be on the way to the stars.

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