Chip
and
Tony Kinman
were one of the truly great brother acts of the California underground music scene in the '70s, '80s, and '90s, but their disinterest in staying in the same place musically may have prevented them from getting the recognition they deserved.
Tony
first made a name for themselves in the furious early punk band
the Dils
, but while their speed and ferocity anticipated hardcore, once hardcore took over the West Coast punk community, they did an about-face and began playing roots rock with a deep country accent in the group
Rank & File
. In their last years,
would detour into a harder rock sound with a dash of heartland rock. By the time their fans adjusted to that, the Kinmans had bought a drum machine and synthesizer and started dabbling in industrial/electronic music with a human and rootsy edge in the duo
Blackbird
. And then they stripped away most of the electricity with their traditionalist folk/country project
Cowboy Nation
. Despite their creative restlessness, each of
's projects revealed an honest passion for their music, an unpretentious social conscience, and killer harmonies as
's tenor squared off against
's baritone. The decades-long collaboration between the Kinman brothers came to an end in May 2018 after
lost his life to cancer, and
has celebrated their legacy by compiling
Chip & Tony Kinman: Sounds Like Music
, featuring 22 unreleased tracks recorded between 1977 and 2002.
While
Sounds Like Music
does feature material from all of
's major bands, that's not to say the representation is equal or balanced; 12 of the 22 selections are from
, and
only get one number -- a rough, keyboard-dominated demo of "Folks Say Go." There are also a few welcome surprises here: a punk/metal version of "Rank & File" that seemingly predates their swing into country, a cover of
Tom Waits
' "Jersey Girl" that features some of the brothers' sweetest harmonies, and "Blue Hair," a very funny rocked-up update of
's "I Went Walking." The recording quality varies a great deal from track to track, and much of this material sounds like demos that were doubtless never meant for public consumption. However, the songs range from good to excellent, the vocals and harmonies are outstanding, and the spirit of adventure that marked every project
pursued is audible on every track.
is hardly the place to introduce yourself to
's body of work, but if you followed their career and want to honor
's life and art, this album is well worth your time. ~ Mark Deming