KONGOS Crashes On Its Two-Pronged Musical Vision

Weird Al would be proud. The accordion is a front and center participant on KONGOS' current rock single "Come With Me Now". In fact its the first tap on the shoulder to greet you. A novel instrument is greatly appreciated. As much a fan as I am of your standard alto guitar, bass guitar, drum, vocals setup, it's nice to be reminded there are plenty of other musical fish in the sea. I'm happy this South African outfit named after the four brothers' collective last name likes to jazz up its approach to the craft. What concerns me is that underneath the glitz there isn't much in the way of lyrical originality. Wasted time and breath aren't new concepts. They're always poignant, but not exactly mind expanding on the most basic level. I don't care what country's heroes are peddling this message. Escapism is escapism is escapism. Creative lyrics can accentuate the variety of instruments a band plays. I'm afraid the aftermath of attempting to sell one's soul to the devil (Beelzebub isn't mentioned but the implication is there nonetheless) is about as great an example of scratching beneath the surface as we're getting. So in the interest of sharing with you why "Come With Me Now" gets a mixed vote from me, let's turn to the brothers Kongos themselves to show what's right about this song. Daniel's voice has "gruff" written all over it. That attribute works in his favor because it makes the desperation pumping through his veins that much more palpable. Dylan's bass is the industrial strength glue keeping the nuts and bolts riveted together. As for drumming Jesse swerves gracefully over, under, around, and through the smartly loomed efforts of his brethren. I also would like to give the foursome due credit for the shift in aura which takes place at the bridge. Up until then "Come With Me Now" was wedded to stew, savory musical stew left wisely on slow burn. Even though the pacing is slow, all hands are on the tiller. At the bridge those same hands let go, confident that their newly hatched creation can thrive without training wheels. Johnny's keyboard selections lend themselves to a ceiling impaired way out in space sensation that can tickle, titillate, arouse, and so much more. If only the words backed up what the cogs in the machine are churning out. As was the case with selling your soul to the devil, there's no actual woman Dylan waxes emphatic about. Still, unless Dylan is keeping himself closeted (and I suspect that's a big, fat, heterosexual no) the person he's wanting to come with him now is probably the female of the species. We're led to believe that as an artistic statement it's okay to come right out and declare your intentions behind the overt masculinity of a bass guitar yet it's equally fine and dandy to be coy about what the bare bones words themselves are trying to say. A split personality rock song is a task best left to masters. At this juncture KONGOS isn't part of that elite club. The lyrical tepidness detracts from the instrumental fluidity. They're dipping their toes in the water yet refuse to take the full plunge. Too bad. KONGOS obviously does have some fresh meat to toss on the grill. Would that we left the table feeling suitably full instead of deceptively empty. In the end "Come With Me Now" goes down as an African safari cursed with a tour guide who's not too keen on educating his visitors past the bare minimum.