R.E.M. V: Driving With a Stranger

‘The Monster’s Kiss’ - a dark, dreamscape concept Mini-LP with an interpretive storyline - is the first solo release from Brooklyn based composer and recording artist, Tim-Ryan O’Kane.

A year in the making, ‘The Monster’s Kiss’ finds O’Kane pulling from a wide variety of influences: Classical, Electronic, Grunge, Metal, Industrial, and Pop – to create a signature sound of lush harmony, dark hypnotic melodies, and sudden crunching guitars.

His lyrics often vary from the highly poetic to the profoundly straightforward and personal. “I always write the melody first, which isn’t the traditional way to do it,” he explains. “Since I’m not a band, when I write songs I can write the arrangement based on whatever the song calls for, rather than trying to figure out what everyone in the band is going to play.”

Embracing the disjointed and often frightening nature of dreams themselves, O’Kane and producer Miles Kennedy set out to create surreal sonic landscapes, unconventional song structures, and an overall mood to compliment the dark nature of the story experience – something on which O’Kane prefers not to comment. “If you look through the liner notes you’ll see a bunch of essays between the lyrics that tell what’s happening in the character’s mind. I kind of approached this thing like ‘what if Alice In Chains and Radiohead got together to make a Pink Floyd album?’ We tried to make it unpredictable. It’s one of those records where you break out the big headphones. I could spell out exactly what the story’s about – but what fun is that? I prefer to let people decide for themselves.”

See what critics have been saying about ‘The Monster’s Kiss’:

“Brilliant…Right from the start you will notice rich musical textures overflowing everywhere, full of passion, variety & strong melodic structure…What I like most about the music is its sheer unpredictability & amazing originality.”
-Cyrus Rhodes
Indie Music Digest, ‘Pick of the Week, August 2011’
Rating: 8/10

“Amazing songs, dark, highly original. Possesses a very unique signature sound…The most amazing thing about this CD is O'Kane's 's vocals & writing abilities…He’s clearly a premier talent. “
-Markus Druery,
Indie Shark, ‘Catch of the Month, September 2011’
Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

“This electro pop alternative creation will enthrall and entertain…The vocal harmonizing is exquisite, the sound is divine and the powerful guitar work lends a sense of foreboding to this brilliant composition…A concept album with a chilling storyline… “
-Rhonda Readence
Rock Critic
Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

“This recording is expertly produced…Tim-Ryan O’Kane’s music falls somewhere between Radiohead and Muse…It would be criminal if this dark slice of life were ignored. “
-Dan MacIntosh
Music Critic
Rating: 4 Stars (out of 5)

“It has an Alternative Rock quality to it but should not to be underestimated or easily pinned down.”
(O’Kane) hits the mark remarkably well by just being who he is.”
-Michael Morrison
Music Emissions
Rating: 8/10

“O’Kane crafts a hard-hitting and substantially emotional song cycle that still manages to rock…This is an album to be digested in isolation and accompanied by the liner notes, which offer not only the lyrics, but a thin narrative between songs…The concise length and highly interpretive nature of the album do well to display the tact and talent of its creator.”
-Bryan Rodgers
Rock Critic
Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)