The Kills have never been one for musical stagnation. The duo, a collaboration between British guitarist Jamie Hince and vocalist Alison Mosshart, of newfound Dead Weather fame, have always used new albums as an avenue to push the boundaries of their musical repertoire. The duo’s latest album “Blood Pressures,” its first since 2008, is no exception and finds the band trying to strike a balance between the old and the new.
The album is a mix of dark, driving, edgy music and catchy pop hooks. Anyone familiar with The Kill’s prior work will recognize that the band’s sound is more polished and adventurous, but their all-important lo-fi garage aesthetic is still present.
The album opens with the track “Future Starts Slow,” an apt name for a song that literally starts slowly with pounding rhythmic drums that are eventually joined by gritty and grimy distorted guitars, in a style reminiscent of The Kill’s first two albums. The percussion-heavy, dark love song features dual male and female vocals sung over what is arguably the most memorable riff of the album.
In contrast, the album’s second song and lead single, “Satellite,” takes a less conventional approach and as a result is the most interesting track on the album. The guitar-heavy song has an up-tempo reggae-dub feel, but still utilizes The Kill’s trademark garage-rock distortion that one would expect to sabotage the song, but actually end up enhancing it. The result is a seemingly paradoxical song that feels both heavy and laid back.
The Kills attempts to stay true to its lo-fi roots, but the presence of a greater recording quality and a new emphasis on pop sensibility can be clearly seen in songs such as “Heart Is A Beating Drum,” “DNA” and “The Last Goodbye.” Though the duo sacrifices a portion of their gritty sound in favor of a more pop-oriented sound, they are able to greater showcase Mosshart’s vocal abilities.
At some points, Mosshart almost seems to be channeling garage rock revival pioneer Jack White, her Dead Weather band mate. Songs such as “Nail In My Coffin” and “You Don’t Own The Road” feature riffs and vocal deliveries that would not be out of place on a White Stripes’ album.
One of the album’s hidden gems is the near-acoustic soft-rock sound of “Wild Charms,” the only track on the album to exclusively feature Hince’s vocals. Though the song seems to be an antithesis to everything The Kills stand for, the Velvet Underground-esque feel of the song is intoxicating and, at one minute and 15 seconds, seems far too short.
The album closes in a similar fashion to its beginning, with “Pots and Pans,” another slow, rhythmic and distorted song with simultaneous male and female vocals. The song gradually builds to a more distorted, psychedelic sound before eventually fading out.
On the whole, the album is a very cohesive effort. The songs all seem to blend together, unfortunately sometimes to the point where many tracks begin to sound similar. The only strong criticism is that the album is devoid of any standout tracks that are able to hold their own outside of the context of the album. Though this takes away from the band’s potential to be radio friendly, it adds to the listening experience of the album as a whole.
In the case of “Blood Pressures,” the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
““ Niran Somasundaram
Email Somasundaram at nsomasundaram@media.ucla.edu.