Having cut his teeth in numerous bands, Greek multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Nikitas Kissonas went solo with 2011’s promising The Fall Of Bliss.
Now, with Suiciety, he’s aimed to “present something variant”. It’s certainly varied. Kissonas is a student of the ‘throw everything at the wall and see what sticks’ approach. He has a lot of melodic ideas and instrumental skills – all of which he seems keen to show off, and all at once. It often works: a marriage of Rick Wakeman-esque synths, orchestral flavours and prog rock riffs, Who Can It Be is a wonderfully weird, grandiose thing. Remember, Fear’s A Relic successfully blends Steely Dan guitar and Stevie Wonder-esque cool. The Origin Of Blame unites cabaret piano jabs and musical theatre vocals (courtesy of the album’s star guest, The Enid’s Joe Payne). Blissful, Floydian guitar and airy effects mark out Prey’s Prayer, and the melancholy strings of Sunlight are juxtaposed with clean jazzy keys. Elsewhere are pretty acoustics, complex beats, electronics, avant-garde spoken word; all quality, yet all too scattered. Once his project finds a cohesive identity though, Kissonas might become a god.
