Rocker makes a Vool of himself

KARNIVOOL is a serious rock band and Ian Kenny is a serious rock dude.

karnivool

KARNIVOOL is a serious rock band and Ian Kenny is a serious rock dude.

Well, fairly serious. Let's start proceedings with a bit of soften-him-up banter and ask the 33-year-old Perth-based frontman (of both the 'Vool and another equally successful endeavour, Birds of Tokyo) which "Alternative Kenny" he'd like to be. He gets to wear a few hats this year so let's hand him another.

Kenny from Southpark, Ken from A Fish called Wanda or Kent Brockman aka Kenny Brockelstein? "I'd be Kenny from A Fish Called Wanda," he says without hesitation, chuckles then inquires "Who's Kent Brockman? Oh the newsreader from The Simpsons. "F - k, I'll switch to Kent Brockman, he's always got the goods."

In 2013, Ian Kenny is the one with the goods. "This year's a funny year, I've got two records. I've managed to manoeuvre the last eight years without having two albums out (at once) but it was unavoidable this time," he pleads. "I've got two weeks off in Melbourne then I'm off to LA with the Birds' guys to do radio and promo and then Birds' comes back for Splendour in the Grass. The day after Splendour, Karnivool goes into production for the Australian album tour."

Ostensibly, that's what we're chatting about today, Karnivool's crunchy new album is titled Asymmetry, their third LP after Themata and Sound Awake. It's a more adventurous, more expansive record than their previous more stock efforts, the time signatures are all over the shop and there's an atmosphere and proggy tension they've lacked in the past. "Yep, it's all on the table. It's good evolution after Sound Awake. There's three years between records and a lot changes chemically within a band: our male and female struggles and all the parts of us that we have to balance. There's enough narrative on this record to take you down a path and we'll be waiting at the end," he assures.

First single We Are ends with a poignant mantra, the line: "This is the first day I've ever had to stand and witness these words of wisdom" repeated over and over again like it's doing laps of a swimming pool. It could be interpreted several ways but Kenny is keen to remind listeners "we do need to stop and have a look at what we are and who we want to be in the future, especially with all this information flying around at us. We do want to be as aware as we can be and be able to stop and work out what the f - k is going on."

Hence the title Asymmetry and the nuggety, grab-a-jumper approach of the band when they're working in the studio with producer Nick Didia.

"We needed Nick's perspective because he made us rethink how we work," says Kenny. "We tend to over-think things and we do circle things and take our sweet time with it. He just says 'Let's throw it down and sit with it and see how it sounds.' He'll say 'I'll give you Option A and … F---k options B, C, D, E and F.' The record started to reveal itself in a fairly direct and natural way after that," he says.

The Refusal is a reminder of what Karnivool can do with a loud rock song that ricochets from verse to chorus. Mars Volta have had an impact, no?

"I think they have, yeah. Mars Volta are a band that always comes up when we're active and doing our thing and they've rubbed off on us for sure. That's in some of Steve's (Judd) approach to playing with his percussion and maybe some of the frantic, scattered guitar parts."

Asymmetry sees the 'Vool push away from more a rote rock route but don't be thinking "Oh my god, they killed Karny."

"What we've got now is these great performances and not too much production afterwards. We were about capturing the sound of a band wrestling a record in a room."

HEAR Asymmetry (Destiny/Sony) comes out tomorrow.

SEE Karnivool,
Melbourne Town Hall, 90 Swanston St, city. Aug 1-2. $61.20. oztix.com.au
The Big Top, Luna Park, Sydney. Aug 4, $61.20, oztix.com.au;
Eatons Hill Hotel, Brisbane, Aug 7, $61.20. oztix.com.au.