bruise_pristine
04-21-2004, 08:18 PM
The Kills - Keep On Your Mean Side
http://img24.photobucket.com/albums/v71/bruise_pristine/Bruise/B00008O31B.jpg
Band:
VV (a.k.a. Alison Mosshart) - Vocalist/Guitarist
Hotel (a.k.a. Jamie Hince) - Drummer/Guitarist/Vocalist
The track listing on the back of the album is incorrect, the correct track listing is on the inner flap of the album. I am doing the track reviews in the order of the inner flap because they are correct and go along with the CD. However I am listing the track listing on the back and the inner flap.
On The Back Of The CD (Incorrect)
Songs:
01)Superstition
02)Cat Claw
03)Pull A U
04)Kissy Kissy
05)Fried My Little Brains
06)Gyspsy Death & You
07)Hand
08)Hitched
09)Black Rooster
10)Wait
11)**** The People
12)Monkey 23
Songs On The Inner Flap (Correct)
Songs:
01)Superstition
02)Cat Claw
03)Pull A U
04)Kissy Kissy
05)Fried My Little Brains
06)Hand
07)Hitched
08)Black Rooster
09)Wait
10)**** The People
11)Monkey 23
12)Gyspsy Death & You
Superstition:
This is a great song to have picked to kick off the start of the album. It starts out slow, but with a good catchy beat. The low down dirty guitar riff on this song, is amazing. It's basic but genius in my opinion. The lyrics have a short but sweet feel to them I love the line "You got elected now honey, so what the hell". Overall the song grabs you in, it leaves you wanting more. It is a
great choice on starting of this record. 5/5
Cat Claw:
This is one of my favorite songs, of this album. It is also probably one of the catchiest tunes on this album and the closet the band comes to a pop tune.
This is gutter rock at it's best, is low down and gritty. VV's vocals are brash just as the guitars. The lyrics come off as a little abrupt and maybe impulsive. The repetitiveness of the lyrics "You got it / I want it" have a nice effect on the song. 5/5
Pull A U:
The raunchy opening guitar riff is great, it has a bluesy/rock feel. The subtle lyrics leave you wondering and contemplating the greatness of the song. 4/5
Kissy Kissy:
This song really shows the groups range and ability, it also the longest song on the album going over five minutes. The very eastern fuzz sound of the song, is big jump from the other dark and dirty sound of the songs before. The song is quite slow, comparedto the others. VV's delivery of the chorus is dark and wonderful, Hotel briefly takes the lead in vocals, which is quite soothing. You really haven't heard his voice much without the duo of VV. 4/5
Fried My Little Brains:
This has a southern rock n' roll kind of feel. The song is rather basic but also satisfying, Hotel appears as the main vocalist on this song, while backed by
VV’s vocals. All though I love the title of this track, the song fails to delivery in certain areas, but is never the less a decent track. 2/5
Hand:
This isn't a song, it is just VV talking. Maybe on a phone? It has a very fuzzy sound to it, and nothing entertaining. 1/5
Hitched:
This song sounds a little like PJ Harvey in her early years, the song is sang in more of a talk/singing tone. Low down, drowned sound of the vocals match the reparative sounds of the guitar and drums. It's a fairly decent song, with some nice hooks, but there is never really a change in the beat of the song, except of the outro which is the best part of the song. 3/5
Black Rooster:
There is dirty garage sound to this track especially with the drum intro, that sounds more like a warm - up beat then anything. Never the less The Kills do a great job incorporating the drums into the slow paced song. The gritty guitar solos come as a nice surprise. 3/5
Wait:
The acoustic guitar and the harmonica featured on this song are very soothing. I love the "La, La, La, La" in the chorus sang by Hotel, it has a nice 60's feel to it. They embrace all the elements a song should have, I get a real home style feel from this song. It reminds me of a lying in a field with flowers, just looking at the sun and thinking about life. 5/5
**** The People:
The very ragged drowned out sound of the guitar, amplifies the vocals on this song. The screaming sound of the harmonica is amazing. This song has a real bluesly rock n' roll feel. The chorus is quite simple, with the chorus of
"HEY! **** The People", the late 60's style guitar solo has a nice effect to the song. Overall this brings back the feelings of the late 60's without having to burn your bra. 4/5
Monkey 23:
Just the awkwardness of the song title, just makes me wonder. I love the echoing drum beat, that is in a low key while the guitar is loud and obnoxious. Surprisingly the song is quite relaxing once the verse comes in with quiet vocals and a basic drum beat. It's a very depressing song, you can feel the real emotion come from all the instruments Especially the guitar on the chorus. Overall the song has great effect on the listener making you feel every bit of pain the creator felt. 4/5
Gypsy Death & You:
This is my all time favorite song of this album, it is just VV a guitar and maybe some bongo drums. It has a very folk rock sound to it, maybe something Nick Drake would do. The lyric "That’s The Way That You Feel" sends chills down my spine. VV's vocals are indescribable, no words could really explain this song. It is simply amazing. 5/5
Overall my opinion on this record, is that it is simply amazing. It is a very raw record and I wouldn’t recommend it to just anyone. Some similar bands to The Kills are The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The White Stripes, The Raveonettes. This album has quickly become of of my favorites and is constantly in my CD player. I am going to give this album two different ratings, because I feel that people who are already into this style of music would love this record and people who aren’t maybe have trouble getting into it, but always have an open mind.
4/5 For fans of similar music.
3/5 For people who may not necessarily be into the above said style.
http://img24.photobucket.com/albums/v71/bruise_pristine/Bruise/B00008O31B.jpg
Band:
VV (a.k.a. Alison Mosshart) - Vocalist/Guitarist
Hotel (a.k.a. Jamie Hince) - Drummer/Guitarist/Vocalist
The track listing on the back of the album is incorrect, the correct track listing is on the inner flap of the album. I am doing the track reviews in the order of the inner flap because they are correct and go along with the CD. However I am listing the track listing on the back and the inner flap.
On The Back Of The CD (Incorrect)
Songs:
01)Superstition
02)Cat Claw
03)Pull A U
04)Kissy Kissy
05)Fried My Little Brains
06)Gyspsy Death & You
07)Hand
08)Hitched
09)Black Rooster
10)Wait
11)**** The People
12)Monkey 23
Songs On The Inner Flap (Correct)
Songs:
01)Superstition
02)Cat Claw
03)Pull A U
04)Kissy Kissy
05)Fried My Little Brains
06)Hand
07)Hitched
08)Black Rooster
09)Wait
10)**** The People
11)Monkey 23
12)Gyspsy Death & You
Superstition:
This is a great song to have picked to kick off the start of the album. It starts out slow, but with a good catchy beat. The low down dirty guitar riff on this song, is amazing. It's basic but genius in my opinion. The lyrics have a short but sweet feel to them I love the line "You got elected now honey, so what the hell". Overall the song grabs you in, it leaves you wanting more. It is a
great choice on starting of this record. 5/5
Cat Claw:
This is one of my favorite songs, of this album. It is also probably one of the catchiest tunes on this album and the closet the band comes to a pop tune.
This is gutter rock at it's best, is low down and gritty. VV's vocals are brash just as the guitars. The lyrics come off as a little abrupt and maybe impulsive. The repetitiveness of the lyrics "You got it / I want it" have a nice effect on the song. 5/5
Pull A U:
The raunchy opening guitar riff is great, it has a bluesy/rock feel. The subtle lyrics leave you wondering and contemplating the greatness of the song. 4/5
Kissy Kissy:
This song really shows the groups range and ability, it also the longest song on the album going over five minutes. The very eastern fuzz sound of the song, is big jump from the other dark and dirty sound of the songs before. The song is quite slow, comparedto the others. VV's delivery of the chorus is dark and wonderful, Hotel briefly takes the lead in vocals, which is quite soothing. You really haven't heard his voice much without the duo of VV. 4/5
Fried My Little Brains:
This has a southern rock n' roll kind of feel. The song is rather basic but also satisfying, Hotel appears as the main vocalist on this song, while backed by
VV’s vocals. All though I love the title of this track, the song fails to delivery in certain areas, but is never the less a decent track. 2/5
Hand:
This isn't a song, it is just VV talking. Maybe on a phone? It has a very fuzzy sound to it, and nothing entertaining. 1/5
Hitched:
This song sounds a little like PJ Harvey in her early years, the song is sang in more of a talk/singing tone. Low down, drowned sound of the vocals match the reparative sounds of the guitar and drums. It's a fairly decent song, with some nice hooks, but there is never really a change in the beat of the song, except of the outro which is the best part of the song. 3/5
Black Rooster:
There is dirty garage sound to this track especially with the drum intro, that sounds more like a warm - up beat then anything. Never the less The Kills do a great job incorporating the drums into the slow paced song. The gritty guitar solos come as a nice surprise. 3/5
Wait:
The acoustic guitar and the harmonica featured on this song are very soothing. I love the "La, La, La, La" in the chorus sang by Hotel, it has a nice 60's feel to it. They embrace all the elements a song should have, I get a real home style feel from this song. It reminds me of a lying in a field with flowers, just looking at the sun and thinking about life. 5/5
**** The People:
The very ragged drowned out sound of the guitar, amplifies the vocals on this song. The screaming sound of the harmonica is amazing. This song has a real bluesly rock n' roll feel. The chorus is quite simple, with the chorus of
"HEY! **** The People", the late 60's style guitar solo has a nice effect to the song. Overall this brings back the feelings of the late 60's without having to burn your bra. 4/5
Monkey 23:
Just the awkwardness of the song title, just makes me wonder. I love the echoing drum beat, that is in a low key while the guitar is loud and obnoxious. Surprisingly the song is quite relaxing once the verse comes in with quiet vocals and a basic drum beat. It's a very depressing song, you can feel the real emotion come from all the instruments Especially the guitar on the chorus. Overall the song has great effect on the listener making you feel every bit of pain the creator felt. 4/5
Gypsy Death & You:
This is my all time favorite song of this album, it is just VV a guitar and maybe some bongo drums. It has a very folk rock sound to it, maybe something Nick Drake would do. The lyric "That’s The Way That You Feel" sends chills down my spine. VV's vocals are indescribable, no words could really explain this song. It is simply amazing. 5/5
Overall my opinion on this record, is that it is simply amazing. It is a very raw record and I wouldn’t recommend it to just anyone. Some similar bands to The Kills are The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The White Stripes, The Raveonettes. This album has quickly become of of my favorites and is constantly in my CD player. I am going to give this album two different ratings, because I feel that people who are already into this style of music would love this record and people who aren’t maybe have trouble getting into it, but always have an open mind.
4/5 For fans of similar music.
3/5 For people who may not necessarily be into the above said style.