The Reign of Kindo (Band)

The Reign of Kindo 11/11

TROK (which formed out of another awesome band: This Day and Age) is hands down my favorite band of all time. They are labeled as alternative, but their style is more unique than any other band I’ve ever listened to. It’s got a jazzy vibe and many of the songs are driven by keys.

Normally I would use words like “catchy,” “soothing,” or “intense” to describe music, but with Kindo the words that come to mind are beautiful, masterful, and numinous. Every track is flawless and fresh. Some of my favorites are “The Hero, the Saint, the Tyrant, and the Terrorist,” where the trained nerd’s ear will hear the Legend of Zelda influence, or the ironically named “I Hate Music” which is one of their more fast paced tracks and has a lot of great energy. The jazz influence really comes out in the song “Just Wait,” and the song “Battling the Years” has a haunting piano lead that always submerges me in an introspective mood.

But TROK is the whole package. Not only is the music fantastic—the lyrics are deeply inspiring and meaningful, and they’re delivered with incredible and passionate vocals. For example:

“I remember when the wind brought heaven’s scent and the stars that filled the sky drew a line between you and I. Oh my God, what have I become? I feel this fire burn; burn ‘til I’m undone—never to return.” –“The Moments In Between”

“There’s a bridge just up ahead now, we can’t see where it will end. Oh it shakes in the wind and it’s narrow and thin—hold on for dear life!” –“Thrill of the Fall”

“We once were children building castles in the sand, smashed them back to the land, called it all for fun. Well now we build them big and tall, we weep and cry each time they fall, and then we hurry on to build again.” –“Dust “

Yes, at least some of the members of TROK are Christians. I’ve never seen anything about their music being Christian music, but their I think their music is relatable to my walk with God than any hymn or worship song I’ve ever heard. The songs “Til We Make Our Ascent” and “The Hero, the Saint, the Tyrant, and the Terrorist,” are brutally honest about the shortcomings of the Church and demonstrate an awareness of the existential questions that haunt believers, yet still positive about the love of God. “Psalm” describes the struggle with apathy better than anything I could ever put into words. And I’m not exaggerating at all when I say that “Let It Go,” a song about experience the presence and grace of God, changed my life.

And if that wasn’t enough, TROK’s music contains little Easter Eggs for nerds like me to find. I already mentioned that “The Hero, the Saint, the Tyrant, and the Terrorist” was influenced by The Legend of Zelda music, but Kindo actually put out a whole album of tracks done in 8-bit style because their band was so influenced by those video games. The song “Sunshine” begins and ends with a quote from the theologian Anthony De Mello, and the song “The Man, the Wood, and the Stone” is based on one of his stories. But my favorite is “Now We’ve Made Our Ascent,” which is based on the story The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis (my all-time favorite book by my all-time favorite author). One of the band members (Steven Padin) is a huge Lewis fan. He actually has a song about Perelandra (the book I reviewed last week) and the name of TROK’s former band’s first album is “The Bell and The Hammer,” which is the name of the chapter in The Magician’s Nephew (first story in the Narnia series) in which Queen Jadis is awoken. It’s like someone took everything I love and put it into music.

Please go listen to everything this band has ever done. This music isn’t just good—it will make you a happier, wiser, and better person.

If you find any Easter Eggs in the music I’ve missed let me know, and if you know of a band that you think I would like let me know.