The Kills
Midnight Boom
Domino Records
Action Rating: 6.5/10
No it’s not The White Stripes and besides what I have stated, they don’t have much more in common with The White Stripes but rather the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s.
The Kills do create their own unique sound which they develop further on their latest release, Midnight Boom.
Alison Mosshart delivers her vocals sounding overconfident and cool and Jamie Hince plays distortion fueled riffs, all done over automatic drum beats, giving it a modern vibe.
The album starts with “U.R.A. Fever” a song with dual vocals that lays down a cool groove and hooks you in.
In the danceable, “Sour Cherry”, Alison asks, “Am I the only sour cherry on the fruit stand?” “Sour Cherry” is the heaviest song on the album, and it is also one of the best.
Other highlights include “What New York Used to Be”, which is dark and sexy and sounds like Lou Reed could have written it.
"Getting Down" is another catchy song that plays off dual vocals and their usual formula.
Hand claps begin "Black Balloon" as they are used to keep the beat throughout the song. "Black Balloon" provides a nice contrast in the album as it is one of the albums only slower songs.
The key to The Kills success lies within the title of one of their songs, "Hook and Line". The songs are loaded with hooks that make them catchy and lyrics provide some good one-liners. Otherwise lyrically the band is very shallow but the music is typically what shines.
Just as the title implies, the album is ideal for a late night listen but make sure your ready to groove. If you’ve never heard The Kills, this is the place to start. I do have to say though; pun intended that this album is really killer.
Key Tracks: URA Fever, Cheap and Cheerful, Tape Song, Black Balloon, Sour Cherry, What New York Used to Be
