Koria Kitten Riot is a Helsinki, Finland indie band that combines indie-rock with singer-songwriter Americana and psychedelia. The band features Antti Reikko (singer-songwriter, guitarist) and five other musicians.
KKR’s first two releases were solo projects by the singer-songwriter, but Rich Men Poor Men Good Men marks the debut of a full-band. Reikko is not only a talented musician, but also has an excellent ear for songwriting. He cites Elliot Smith, Neil Young, Sufjan Stevens, Bright Eyes and Nick Drake among his influences.
Reikko has a gift for telling a story with his songs, and often he uses the lyrics as a springboard to illustrate a larger idea or emotion. The result is an album that evokes an idyllic reverie and reminds us that there is always hope and a way out of the mess we find ourselves in.
The band – Reikko, Matti Vasanen (bass guitar), Tuomas Lankinen (drums) and Mikael Kalajinen (guitar) – recorded Rich Men Poor Men Good Men on a shoe-string budget at their home studio. They used GarageBand, a laptop and a Behringer mixer to record most of the album’s tracks. They also used a harmonica, mandolin, and glockenspiel. The songs themselves are incredibly well-crafted and ambitious, with lots of detail in the arrangements.