Branches Out
Artist, vocalist Ani Kyd’s newly wrought energy turns its attention to her new album Entangle. Out on Alternate Tentacles, a label known for heavier or more provocative material, this release broadens with a new set of roots and branches. On Entangle, Kyd collaborated with four different composers across six songs, giving each song a distinct sound and feel.
This past summer, Kyd and Stephen Hamm (Slow, Tank Hog, Evaporators) co-wrote the three tracks “Virus,” “Paralyzed” and “Love Again.” Another, “Put the Lies Away,” came from work with long time colleague Marc L’Esperance. “It’s a really emotional song for me, so I felt like it needed to be on this release, too,” she says. “Taking A Leap” was initiated with Damien Wallace a few years ago. San Francisco guitarist Ralph Spight (Victims Family, Jello Biafra And The Guantanamo School Of Medicine, Freak Accident) coauthored the quirky “Box of Broken Toys” as they sent files back and forth.
Kyd shares a taste for musical diversity, as does Alternative Tentacles, a label which is known for its punk bands but actually have quite a distinct catalogue of artists – Kyd is just one of the many examples. Her 2005 solo album, Evil Needs Candy Too, toggles tempos and genre. “I still pick up the Fuel Injected .45 microphone and like to kick people in the head with that powerful sound from time to time,” says Kyd. “I was a young punk kid who was brought up by Rastafarians. My mom and my aunt played in reggae bands and also did backup vocals on an album with The Wailers. So underground music was always around me from an early age.”
A vocal dynamo whose range can switch between thunderous metal to a sultry torch flair, her list of inspirations come as no surprise; citing Tom Jones, Lemmy, and Chuck D. “As far as female vocalists go, I loved the old blues singers with their thick seductive vocal styles. I love powerful deep vocals,” she adds.
The accomplished Kyd is also a filmmaker with Sugar Skull Films which boast a portfolio that includes music videos, a short film with Jello Biafra, and a couple of TV show pilots in the last few years. Three of the songs from Entangled are in the process of becoming videos. One of which, “Box of Broken Toys,” the collaboration with Ralph Spight, is an unusual piece of work as suggested by the name. “We have a team of people who do body suspension and they will be hanging like puppets in the video,” says Kyd. “It’s a pretty messed up song for sure and the video idea works for it.”
Entangle releases on January 7th via Alternative Tentacles. Look for the videos as they roll out of the editing suite!
