Just over three minutes into this record, Michael Bromley is choking on a mixture of anxiety and regret as he spits out the prophetic riposte, "You are being lied to by those who should protect you." It sounds bitter, it is bitter, but then again, if you were in Kinesis' position, you'd have have every justifiable reason to be.
Five years ago they were being touted by all and sundry as the saviours of British rock, and tours with the likes of Muse and the Manic Street Preachers seemed to only enhance their reputation. But then along came the Strokes and every other band with a "The" prefix in one hand and the entire back catalogue of the Velvet Underground and Chas & Dave in the other and before you know it, redundancy beckoned
As a final epitaph of Kinesis' short-lived legacy, You Are Being Lied To doesn't have the immediate charm and charisma of it's predecessor 'Handshakes For Bullets'. Instead it pays more than a passing nod to those who've inspired the Bolton foursome both before and during their brief passage through the music industry, with 'Everything You Thought You Knew To Be' and 'Rainbow In The Night' casting a brief glance in Matt Bellamy's direction and the fiery 'Principles Are A Luxury' owing more than the odd Corgan-ism to Mellon Collie...-era Smashing Pumpkins.
Nevertheless, Kinesis do leave their own distinctive blueprint throughout, with 'Perception Management' easily rivalling the timeless 'Billboard Beauty' as one of their finest moments, and the penultimate blast of 'A Prayer For Death' finally bringing the curtain down on their agit-rock manifesto.
"Just remember, we are a vacancy" Bromley reminds us and quite frankly, despite the good time ethos of Franz, The Killers et al, the sooner that gap is filled the less complacent the music industry will be.
R.I.P. Kinesis. You will be missed.
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7Dom Gourlay's Score