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Instar has made interesting inroads into experimental rock music. "Secret Services" was recorded in a home recording studio that was built by the mastermind behind instar, Karl von Kries. While maintaining a metal aura throughout the album, instar is definitely not what would be considered metal. The deafening, distorted guitars in some songs are transformed by the distinctly intense, yet non-metal drumming by PJ Aylward.
Songs such as "The Future Is Going To Forget You" show strong influences from other experimental rock groups such as Radiohead and Blur. However, instar stands on it's own musical merit with undisputedly original songs like "Toxic To The Goodtimes," "J" and "Three Penny" which tries interesting approaches to the rock genre such as using heavy vibraphones as a soloing device. von Kries spearheads his new original sound with "Secret Services."
- John Shelton Ivany
"Excellent"
- NME, London
Listen to
songs from
"Secret Services" and
"Rich
Girls" Listen
»
"...Intelligent, emotional lyrics, dramatic guitars, powerful, soaring vocals (indeed, more Greg Dulli than Thom Yorke), a melancholic mood -- what more could a rock critic ask for? England's New Music Express rated Rich Girls "excellent" and I hasten to agree. All four tracks on this EP (the last track, "Brady At 3 a.m.," is an hilarious, drunken answering-machine message) are knock-outs, especially the bitter "Forty-Niner" ("She's got the Golden Gate/I've got closed doors/She's got a dinner date/I'm phoning whores"). Karl von Kries recorded Rich Girls in the winter and spring of 1998, and did a marvelous job by himself. He's got a band now and I eagerly await an LP..."
- Jim Santo / Demo Universe
(critic for The Musicians' Exchange and AlternativePress
"Instar play subtle, mature music. Karl von Kries,
the man behind the CD, has an irresistible voice that aches through the
tender melodies. His lyrics lament his position in the post-rave generation,
bringing insight to strained relationships and state of mind. ...The arrangements
utilize staccato acoustic plucks and droning electric guitar notes suspended
over the drums. The effects and breakdowns create pent-up emotion and then
release it. His studio expertise is quite apparent in his ability to do
this almost unnoticed, yet take the the listener to different levels of
sound and texture. Von Kries combines orchestral movements with an electric
guitar slide riff without batting an eye. This is truly an original, fresh CD and a sign of good things to come".
- Pat Duggan / Northeastern Performer
"Newcomer of the month... brilliantly reserved on
some songs, powerful and full bodied on others, always original..."
- The
Noise, Boston
"The brainchild of one Karl von Kries, INSTAR is the official moniker for both this multi-instrumentalist/singer/songwriter/ music nut’s recorded projects and the various touring bands he haphazardly tosses together when the mood strikes him. Rich Girls and Secret Services are both thoughtful, multi-layered amalgams of Kries’ most obvious influences—Jeff Buckley for vocals and lyrical content, Radiohead, Modest Mouse and Wolf Parade for the musical style, and Roky Erickson, Jandek and Andrew W.K. for the somewhat damaged genius shtick bolstering the whole shebang.
The songs here all flow on their own, with obvious standouts like “Starlings,” “DSM” and “Negative Man” (from Rich Girls), and “Son Of Sam,” “The Future’s Going To Forget You” and the rollicking, über-chunky anthem “Toxic To The Good Times” (from Secret Services) all vying for your fickle, indie rock-geek attentions. Kries displays an amazing knack for melding modern-rock sensibilities (sequencing, sampling, experimentation) with honest, sometimes pain-wracked lyrics and classic, pop-a-riffic hooks. A noble, rewarding musical adventure."
- Tom Hallet / Pulse, Twin Cities