Karate

Also of Secret Stars and solo fame, Geoff Farina takes a straightforward, less-is-more approach in his passionate songwriting and performances for Karate. Clean Fender chords; precise rhythms; and understated bass notes are the only sounds you’ll hear behind Farina’s excruciatingly emotive, spoken and sung narratives. Despite their sparse arrangements, Farina’s songs possess a rich vitality. Verses of furrowed musical introspection resolve themselves elegantly; instruments swell to intense melodic realization while Farina’s desperately honest voice grapples with dark questions that have no answers. While some feel uncomfortable listening to or creating music this personal, Boston’s Karate have accepted the challenge of making a career of it.