The Meek Shall Inherit What’s Left, the much-delayed second album from New York-based indie rock band Kiss Kiss, continues in much the same vein as their celebrated debut Reality vs. the Optimist. Opener “The Best Mistake” starts the album off in typically understated fashion, melding soft, classical-tinged piano strokes with lush guitar chords before singer Joshua Benash imposes his presence with vocals that are equal parts sweet tenor and gut-wrenching emotional hardcore. “Innocent” (half of a suite on the album) recalls the romping Eastern European folk of Gogol Bordello, while “Plague #11″ and “Hate” blur the lines between Baroque pop and barbed-wire punk. Musically, the developments are subtle: Rebecca Schlappisch’s violin isn’t quite so prominent as a lead instrument, with the focus more on the contrast between it, softer piano motifs, and dissonant, post-hardcore-influenced guitar sections. The breakneck pace at which much of Reality vs. the Optimist was played has been toned down somewhat, but in its place are more time and tempo changes, so it doesn’t sound quite as samey as its predecessor seemed to at times. The Meek Shall Inherit What’s Left is a nakedly emotional, atypical, punk rock album that is as much a physical experience as a musical one: exhausting, but in a good way. – Dave Donnelly
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