The Reign Of Kindo (now just Kindo) have always stuck out of the musical landscape in a good way to me - ambitious, vocal-driven pop colliding head on with a technical, knotty math rock approach to composition. To that sense, they come off at times as a group with prog-rock chops who have listened to a lot of Jamiroquai and Keane, but leader Joseph Secchiaroli is such a powerhouse on guitar and vocals that it's easy to get caught up in the sheer joyousness that permeates their arrangements.

Opener 'Human Convention' serves as both a punchy mediation on the topic of permanence whilst becoming tighter and more technical as it proceeds over a 3 1/2 minute run, complete with a late 60's horn section breakdown about midway through and a conga solo. Beyond that, that album jumps between more technical, funk-oriented pieces and stuff that veers toward more a ballad-esque structure. Of the latter type of song, 'Catch The Gleam' has a cheesy but glorious melodic progression that comes straight out of mid 90's Disney soundtrack playbook (albeit with a lot more jazz elements at play). The best stuff was definitely saved for last though: 'Obsolete' is a cosmic sounding slow burner with a trip-hop twist and 'City Of Gods' is a 6+ minute freakout where they throw every sonic trick in their arsenal out in the open, culminating in some psychedelic guitar soling throughout the second half.

Happy However After endeared itself to me pretty early on but has only grown in esteem with repeated listens. Like a dessert with multiple layers, there's plenty to digest. And I'm always in the mood for seconds.

Whilst I dunno if these guys are technically a "supergroup" per-se, I can most definitely express my surprise just how much I revisited their debut album throughout the year. It's noisy, strange yet just indubitably enjoyable to take in a sitting- I get that engrossing feelings similar to watching a particularly interesting set of cloud patterns or a deep space documentary. Besides that killer album cover, it also has an undeniable near-but-not-quite-dance pop sensibility on cuts like the movin' n groovin' 'The Future Of History' or the sinuous, Bowie-esque 'Chameleon Paint'. Little diversions like that really add up to a sense of replayability for me...a twisted but intriguing tapestry with blistering energy to spare for a cold, listless day.