Listen to any song on Ki's five-track album Powdershy, and you will surely be reminded of radio rock sensation Linkin Park.
Ki, which has been described as a post-hardcore band, explains on its Web site the inevitability that the band will leave its "fingerprints in the world's ear." Maybe what band members meant is the world will leave fingerprints in its ears from plugging them after hearing Ki.
On Powdershy, the band's second release, it is evident there's still room to grow. All tracks are about three-and-a-half minutes, and all follow the same formula almost exactly.
The songs begin with a light guitar until the vocals kick in, then pick up for around 20 seconds just to slow down again long enough to remind listeners how the song began. This formula works 20 percent of the time. But most of the time, it is just too repetitive to enjoy.
"Learning Helplessness" is the only track on Powdershy where Ki's formula worked. Other than some redundancy in the drumming during the chorus, "Learning Helplessness" sounds like it could be a promising single. The ambient background noise and cello adds to the soft introduction. The song is reminiscent of a heavier Postal Service song with a female vocalist.
If the band could only release more songs like this and less like the others, maybe its fingerprints will be left somewhere on the world's music scene. Until then, people will be forced to hear songs like "Nylon" and "Day of a Superhero."
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Grade: D+
