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Greta Van Fleet’s Jake Kiszka co-founds new band, MIRADOR
MIRADOR – a new band co-founded by Greta Van Fleet’s Jake Kiszka and Ida Mae’s Chris Turpin – have just launched their debut single, Feels Like Gold.
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Album review: MIRADOR – MIRADOR
Instinctive side-project from Greta Van Fleet guitarist Jake Kiszka doubles down on the good stuff in MIRADOR’s classic rock bolt from the blue.
- Words:
- Steve Beebee
If you dial things back to the start, that’s often where the most interesting things reside. Even more so when it comes to rock, blues and folk, where everything is steeped in legend and rumour. Making deals with the devil at a crossroads, that sort of thing.
It was that reason – the whole myth and folklore attached to rock’s genesis – that made Greta Van Fleet guitarist Jake Kiszka want to walk this dusty road alongside his friend, Englishman Chris Turpin of alt. folk duo Ida Mae. That, plus the opportunity to simply let rip on his six-string without compromise.
MIRADOR was recorded virtually live and it almost literally crackles with excitement, raw fusion of searing guitar atop Chris’ fulsome throat and dark lyrics. Some of the songs, like the emotive Must I Go Bound, are new takes on folk staples – traditions reborn and reimagined. Others, like guitar-lifted opener Feels Like Gold and Ashes To Earth, just rock with authenticity and verve. The whole ‘as live’ thing adds an element of danger, sparks that both Jake and Chris transform into wildfire.
There are memorable twists, with the ebullient Blood And Custard sounding like something dreamed up by Led Zep legend Jimmy Page before surging somewhere else. Perhaps even better is Raider, a great song that transforms mid-way into something greater still. Then there’s the emotions, with Chris using his soul-searching voice to dazzling result on Fortune’s Fate. If you’ve got basic things like a pulse, the song’s heart-heavy chorus takes you to a place of regret and longing, and like a lot of the special moments on this debut, its originators can’t really account for where it came from. It just happened.
Greta Van Fleet fans need no reminder of what a stellar musician Jake is, but even they have rarely heard him express himself so fully in a studio. MIRADOR might be a one-off – but it might also be the start of an irresistible diversion.
Verdict: 4/5
For fans of: Rival Sons, Blues Pills, Led Zeppelin
MIRADOR is released on September 19 via Republic
