3 out of 5

Label: Fiasco, Peas Kor

Produced by: Brian Paulson (recorded by)

Pure rock gusto.

Karl Hendricks is the sorely missed – throat cancer took him some years back – promulgater of endless riffage and literate lyrics reconfigured across 80 band names and as many albums.  Like a Bob Pollard for those looking to fling devil horns and record with more than two tracks, Hendricks proved capable of continually making a basic template compelling, in no small part due to the energy he – and his always tight bandmates – brought to any given track.

That said – and that general to GBV comparison given – mileage varies from album to album.  A Gesture of Kindness, as recorded by Brian Paulson, sounds fantastic: guitars crunch, percussion snaps, and Hendricks’ slightly nasal vocals sound rounded and rough.  But the songs hit a rather consistent template, such that it’s a little difficult to pick out standouts or singles; at an ear-glance, the tracks might be the same.

That’s where that energy comes back into play, though: Kindness ain’t boring by any means, and Hendricks’ band is so empassioned that you keep a toe-tappin’; you never tune out.  It’s certainly a valuable addition of tracks to Karl’s catalogue, though later releases showed a lot more album end-to-end awareness.