So Brits and Americans really can get along. And thank God for that, because when they come together in the name of music, wonderful things happen.
The Kills, comprised of American singer Alison Mosshart and British guitarist Jamie Hince, is an up-and-coming rock group whose earlier albums have already earned them a solid reputation within the indie-rock scene.
Now the two have released a fourth album, Blood Pressures. It’s a highly-stylized ride of good, old fashioned rock ‘n roll with some modern indie-rock influences thrown in. Gritty, distorted guitar riffs are continually pumped on top of solid rock drum beats.
Even grittier vocals rest atop these, with simple harmonies occasionally tossed in for interest and character. Each song is wickedly entertaining, and many are downright catchy.
The opening track, “Future Starts Slow,” has a kind of bite that draws you into the rest of the album. Its rhythms are infectious and full of constant motion. The introductory drums do a great job setting the stage for the entire album’s character. Mosshart and Hince then sing in octaves, over a sneering, attitude-laced lead guitar.
“You can holler, you can wail, you can blow what’s left of my right mind,” they sing in the refrain.
“Satellite,” the next track, continues the same raucous energy. The hum of some kind of machinery gives way to the opening lines, which later give way to the cool wails of the refrain.
Mosshart’s deep yet distinctly feminine vocals are reminiscent of the Maryland-based rock group Beach House. Her voice has a rough, though still melodic, character to it. In its noisiest and most reckless moments, the album sounds like something from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
At the very least, if you’re a fan of the latter bands, you’ll find a lot to love in this album.
But the noise gets a little tiring after a while. There are points of relief on Blood Pressures, but they’re relatively short. The album could have benefited greatly from some more developed guitar solos or interludes.
But then again, the group obviously isn’t aiming for intricacy. And what they lack in complexity they more than make up for in attitude and character.
“Nail in My Coffin,” a notable highlight on the album, is a fun, danceable mesh of noisy guitars floating underneath combined vocalizations.
“Quit being a nail in my coffin/ And I don’t need another one,” the duo sings in simple descending harmonies.
The piano ballad “Wild Charms” showcases Hince by himself, with the sort of dreamy, distorted vocals that are reminiscent of an old Beatles track. In the context of the rest of the album, it’s probably the most unexpected and unusual track. And that could be a good or bad thing, depending on personal tastes.
Overall, the album will probably be a hit or miss for most people. For those who usually aren’t fans of this kind of gritty rock, the album won’t hold much interest. For others, it will be a raucously entertaining time.
Blood Pressures has attitude, style and some obnoxiously catchy tracks. Despite the noise and ever-present distortion, it’s still melodic and listenable.
3 out of 5 stars
