THE KIMBERLY TRIP: Popularity Contest

The Kimberly Trip

Popularity Contest

© 2007 Gnarly Armadillo Songs (666449526329)

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It's like an Ice Cream cone before a first date in a new convertible. Day-Glo Pogo rock with a sense of humor. If you take life serious, you'll absolutely HATE it.

notes

When the pop in alternative rock died in the late ‘90s, the Kimberly Trip rushed to give it CPR. Armed with witty, sarcastic lyrics; a truckload of sparkling guitar hooks; pulsating synthesizers; urgent drums; and a female voice that captured the crooning sensuality of Garbage’s Shirley Manson and the youthful innocence of No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani, the Kimberly Trip was able to breathe life into a dying genre. While the rest of the world roared and rapped, the Kimberly Trip bounced with the adolescent energy of new wave when it was fresh and bursting in Day-Glo.

Hailing from Orange County and Sacramento, California, the Kimberly Trip was formed by guitarist Jeffry Wynne Prince and drummer Bractune, self-confessed high-school nerds with sci-fi obsessions. Along with vocalist Kimberlina, bassist Sierra, and keyboardist/guitarist Misha, the Kimberly Trip wraps pointedly funny social observations and introspective confessions around toe-tapping, pogo-inducing rhythms. The single “Your Creepy Ex” is the highlight of the Kimberly Trip’s knife-sharp humorous narratives, an ode to stalking that wears the nerd label like a badge of honor. However, the group has a serious side as well, best exemplified by the haunting “Second to Fade” and the soaring heartbroken anthem “Shy Girl From Orange County”.

Popularity Contest is the 4th studio album from the band and has been called “A sonic masterpiece; A lo-fi, epic album with an explosive chemistry that is brimming with life-affirming vibes and buoyant rock & roll that is charming and irresistible.”

Named “2006 Songwriters of the Year” by West Coast Songwriters Association
Nomination for Best Pop Act (2005 Sacramento Music Awards)
Winner: Best Rock Song (2004 NCSA International Song Contest)
Nomination for Best Pop Act (2004 Sacramento Music Awards)
Winner: Overall Best Song (2003 NCSA International Song Contest)
Winner: Best Rock Song (2003 NCSA International Song Contest)
Winner: Outstanding Rock Star (2001 Truth Awards)
Winner: Best Song / NCSA regional (4/99, 1/00, 12/00, 1/02, 4/02, 10/02, 6/04, 1/05, 5/06, 8/06)

“A simply amazing alterna-pop quintet.
Not a weak moment on their disc.”
– Rant

“One of those rare bands that are actually interested in entertaining the audience,
and they accomplish this goal wonderfully!”
– Sacramento News and Review

“They manages to turn some of the most basic of human experiences into musical hugs that make you realize that sometimes all you need is a change in perspective to make unpleasant memories and experiences rest a little easier in your mind.”
-Alive and Kicking

“CONSISTENTLY one of Sacramento’s best drawing live acts.” – S N& R

“This is where music should be headed. Kimberlina has the best voice in Sacramento, if not the world.” – Ricochet Magazine

“The band is tight – musically AND vocally. I can hear Simon and Garfunkel type harmonies… The performance is mind blowing!” – CaBands.com

“Sweet vocals over salty lyrics, and top of the line musicianship throughout. The music rocks without being deafening or chaotic, pop without being too sugar-smacked. 8 stars!!! – Whisperin’ and Hollerin’ (UK)

“A summer blast of ‘80s guitar-rock intoxication, Oingo Boingo keyboards, and sweet-as-honey lead female vocals that are more beautiful than Gwen Stefani’s could ever be.” – Reviewcentre (UK)

TKT has been heard in the following markets:

Sacramento, Ca – KWOD- FM, KRXQ-FM, KDND-FM, KJAC-FM Auburn, Ca – KAHI-AM Los Angeles, Ca – UCLA radio FM Eugene, Or – KRVM-FM London, England – Radio Haven FM St. Louis, Mo – KDHX-FM Atlantic, Io – KSWI-FM Rockland, Me – WRFR-FM Jerusalem, Israel – ReGen Radio Orange County, Ca – INDY 103
Philippines – NU 107 Middleton, NJ – Flashback Alternatives ABC Family Network on episodes of “Knock First” KCRA 3 (NBC affiliate) feature on “News at Noon”

reviews

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  • Awesome & Quirky
    author: Susan Jameson

    My 15-year-old daughter loves this CD and it is one of the few we can put on in the car and all enjoy. Quirky lyrics and fun upbeat tunes. It is definately a great album for the whole family to enjoy.

  • The Trip Will Rock You!
    author: Robert Payne

    My first impression upon listening to this cd is that it really rocks. Forget descriptions like power-pop or retro, this is a major work by a bonafide modern rock band with a punk pedigree. Kimberly Trip fans have come to expect well crafted songs with witty, intelligent lyrics, perfectly played & sung by the exquisite voice of Kimberlina. While this cd delivers all that & more, I must confess that I missed most of the words during my first listening. I was too busy enjoying the big sound of it all, from Sierra's rhythmic basslines & Bractune's powerful drumming to Jeffry's catchy guitar riffs & Misha's techno keyboard flourishes, with Kimberlina's magnificent vocals floating above. Once I put on the headphones & listened more closely, I discovered these to be my personal favorites - the high energy lament to lost love "Shy Girl From Orange County", the hilarious techno tribute to Myspace geekdom "I Wanna Date Your Avatar", the darkly funny & weirdly cool "Your Creepy Ex", the softly humorous anti-emo song "He Wore Pink", the childlike innocence of "Flat Stanley" (any relation to Paperboy?) & the powerful & haunting "Second To Fade". If it were up to me, Kimberlina would win every music award possible for her incredible & passionate vocal performance on this song alone. The cd concludes with "The Send-off/42" (a 42 second instrumental.) "The Send-off" is quite a departure from the band's usual style both musically & lyrically. Along with the usual Kimberly Trip sound & the ever-present Garbage influence, there is a definite trace of Evanescence creeping into the mix. The lyrics are not merely woeful & full of regret but are direct, bitter & confrontational (For example - "Bubblegum words from a razorblade tongue, that's the way your evil comes"). Even Kimberlina's usual honey sweet voice contorts momentarily into a pained growl. It is the most devastating break-up song since "Special" by Garbage. Overall, while there are still touches of humor & fun to be found throughout, Popularity Contest may be the bands most serious effort to date. One thing is for sure, the Kimberly Trip are playing to win.

  • Inventive and clever
    author: Bluesbunny

    This is the fifth release from Californian quintet the Kimberly Trip, and it proves to be real treat. Inventive, clever and cliché free lyrics are the perfect accompaniment to the blend of punk-ish edged pop and rock. The imaginatively titled "#1 With a Mullet (80's Hair)" is less about the hair styles of the decade and more about fading teenage dreams and lost hopes - a touchingly told tale that is perfectly counterbalanced with bittersweet humour, and is as fine an example of fresh and sophisticated mid-tempo pop you could wish for. "Shy Girl From Orange County" is solidly in the punk camp, and one you could easily imagine Debbie Harry or Gwen Stefani wanting to get their vocal chords on. While "Flat Stanley" has a Kinks/Ray Davies air to it with shifts in tempo and melody when you least expect them. "I Wanna Date Your Avatar" and "Your Creepy Ex" are a couple of sharply observed tracks about the 'romantic liaisons' of the times we live in -computer dating and stalking rather than love and marriage. And "Second To Fade" is a song that is beautiful, haunting and mesmerizing in equal measure, with vocalist Kimberlina demonstrating that she can handle gentle and subtle ballads with style when the occasion arises. Not only is the music energetically and enthusiastically performed, they even sound like they're actually enjoying themselves. It is the sort of music that is heartening to hear and makes you want more. And while on the outside they may border on pure geek, on the inside they are positively sub zero cool.

  • Album of the Year
    author: Aaron Samuel Powell

    This disc has a different attitude about it. Upon first listen it sounds very cohesive, but I wonder if that was an afterthought to the production because this collection of songs is just that; a collection of SONGS. Far more reminiscent of an early Beatles record for it's direction of showcasing individual songs as singles, than of say a Pink Floyd album where the focus is on the whole, any one of these tracks could be a potential 'hit'. I have not heard such attention to detail in actual songcraft since the 80's...not that this album is all that retro in sound, but there is a definite vibe of fun and catchy-ness that ruled that era's airwaves. The musicianship is superb, the production can go head to head with any major-label release, and the vocals...well, the haunting and gorgeous voice of Kimberlina resonates in my ears long after the CD has ended. On any other record, the quality of these vocals would completely eclipse every other aspectof the band. Fortunately, she is partnered with some of the best songs I've ever heard. Highlights are many, but my favorite tracks are "Second to Fade", "Shy Girl from Orange County", and "#1 with a Mullet".

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