Anyone heard the Kills?

[Davey]

I saw that Dusty listed it as one of the things he wasn't listening to in that thread of Finchy's, but I'm not sure if that was a slam or not. Care to clarify? I just saw a 4-star top-of-the-class mini-rave for their "No Wow" album by one of my favorite old fogey reviewers, Robert Hilburn of the LA Times. Comments? Questions? Suggestions?

Here's what he said....

THE KILLS

'No Wow'

Rough Trade/RCA

****

"You're gonna have to step over my dead body before you walk out that door/ This ain't no 'wow' no more," Alison Mosshart snarls with the defiance of PJ Harvey in this album's edgy title track, about first glow of romance turning dark and menacing.

The song, whose urgency is underscored by the tension and insistence of Jamie Hince's guitar work, is typical of the psychological battlefield mapped out in this arresting slice of rock noir (due in stores Tuesday) from a London-based duo whose members go by the stage names of VV (Mosshart) and Hotel (Hince).

With music that was as unnerving as the darkest moments of such models as the Velvet Underground and the Jesus and Mary Chain, the group's 2002 debut, Keep on Your Mean Side introduced the Kills' musical path.

In this follow-up, the Kills wrap their songs, from the enchanting 'The Good Ones' to the especially anxious 'I Hate the Way You Love,' in melodies that are disarmingly sweet and seductive.

The music and themes may be too dark for some tastes, but the Kills could dominate late-night radio on alt-rock and college rock stations.

-- Robert Hilburn

Los Angeles Times