Heave Media

Whatever Will Be, Will Be

Sacramento’s K Sera releases their debut EP.

K Sera

The Machinist EP

Released on Dec 02, 2008

It becomes evident a few tracks into self-described indie/pop/rock act K Sera’s debut EP, The Machinist, that the band is still trying to find its sound.  The first 20 or so seconds of the opening track “The Trouble With…”, gives the impression that K Sera are just some kids that spent a few hundred dollars on recording equipment and put something together in one of their garages.  The choice of microphone placement is not something that helped to form a favorable first impression of a band that is, for the most part, unknown.  It seems that just as the track is getting a hook set, it ends after a mere 40 seconds.

The acoustic sound of “The Trouble With…” is dropped with the first note of “This Heart of Mine”, an upbeat poppy number that shows the influence of producer Jay Trammell (Drive-Thru Records’ Self Against City).  The track features vocals that could be attributed to a number of singers in pop-rock acts, but where it really shines is the extremely catchy chorus that will stay stuck in your head for hours after a couple listens.  The arrangement of the track really could use some tweaking to make the sound more effective, with sections of piano and guitar being all but lost behind the low-end of distorted guitar and bass.  Another pop-rock track follows “This Heart of Mine” in “Steady Hands (You Are Not Alone)”.  This song is both boosted and plagued by the same issues as the previous track.

K Sera change gears multiple times on their short EP, something that really hinders the ability of the listener to grow familiar and attached to their sound.  A small change comes on “Touch Me”, which is a bit more rock and a bit less pop than the previous songs.  The sheer amount of production on “Touch Me” hints that perhaps this is where the producer spent most of his time.  The track has a certain polish that other offerings on The Machinist are lacking.  Another change comes right after “Touch Me” in a couple of acoustic tracks that, while decent when taken alone”, don’t really seem to fit with the kind of sound that had been building with the pop-rock tracks.

The Machinist finishes with a return to the pop-rock sound to which K Sera seems best suited.  “Edge of the Map” has more token pop vocals but is a bit less predictable than “This Heart of Mine” or “Touch Me”.  Shifts between distorted guitars and loud vocals to a bright, clean sound help to move the track along, helped by a simple percussion and even a brief guitar solo in the last third of the song.

As a whole, The Machinist is a middle-of-the-road effort by a band that’s trying to go where others have already gone.  There’s not much here that you haven’t heard before.  While it certainly isn’t bad, it’s not something that will make you drop everything and pay attention.

Posted by Cory Roop on Dec 05, 2008 @ 1:30 pm