Album Review: Full Hand by Kevin Krauter

With his Bloomington band still actively recording, Hoops bassist Kevin Krauter presents his second solo set, Full Hand. Reminiscent of the wistful, AM radio-inspired lo-fi rock of Hoops without replicating it, Krauter's music has tended to rely more heavily on keyboard textures and an even blurrier soft-rock vibe. An insular album that reflects on past struggles, the concept of growth, and the realization that there is rarely any resolution in life, its murky musicality combines electric, electronic, and acoustic timbres as well as mixed inspirations.

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It is easy to be fooled by the chill, laidback sounds of Kevin Krauter's music, with its breezy and looping riffs that underscore disarmingly introspective and at-times anxious lyrics. Krauter has always been adept at writing songs that sound like a summer evening, like a warm breeze at twilight or late afternoon sunlight streaming in a window. Yet a sense of unease pervades their lyrics, creating an odd tension at the centre of these relaxed, dreamy tunes.   On Full Hand, Krauter builds ….

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Kevin Krauter makes soft, well-worn shoegaze music, kind of like that old sweater from high school you still keep around. The Indiana musician and Hoops bassist's second album, Full Hand, is first and foremost a spring record; it makes for nice background noise as the sun stays out longer and the grass gets greener. The 12 songs are breezy and genteel, with very little brewing below the surface.

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