American guitarist Kaki King, probably best known for her contributions to Eddie Vedder’s Into the Wild soundtrack, has been hailed as a guitarist’s guitarist and has admirers that include Robert Smith and Dave Grohl. In her fifth album, Junior, King’s adept playing is complemented by drummer Jordan Perlson and multi-instrumentalist Dan Brantigan. The songs have breezy vocals and spacey effects that are grounded by King’s guitar riffs. Junior is an eclectic album with some light pop (“Communist Friends”), punk rock (“Death Head”), and introspective instrumental (“Sloan Shore”). Influenced by 90s female rockers like Juliana Hatfield and Liz Phair, King combines personal lyrics about heartbreak with strong, confident musicianship. – Written by DBosket
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