The Kills – Blood Pressures

Rating:

With a name like The Kills, there is a general connotation of thick, deep-set rock and roll that comes with this band. With past releases that have realized this connotation, this group consisting of merely Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince, has methodically strummed and beat their way to the front of the indie rock music scene. With Blood Pressures, they keep on with their distorted guitars and slightly rough around the edges sound.

The first track, “Future Starts Slow,” begins with some twangy yet grunge guitar work accompanied by vocals from both members. With the drums resounding slightly higher over the top of the track at points, you can get a clear grasp of the emphasis on percussion elements in addition to that of just the guitar. As the words “You can blow what’s left of my right mind,” are doled out during the chorus, you can feel the sweet release of this band. They are just trying to make some swell tunes, and by poking fun at a failing sanity, they offer everything that’s left of their creativity to their audience to take and make their own.

Whereas their last record, Midnight Boom, was a step away from their traditional serious sound, Blood Pressures is a culmination of their grainy rock alongside lighter bits. There are the simple songs that bring lighter notes on the short “Wild Charms.” While hardly offering whimsy, it is a quick break from the thick guitars and the vixen-esque voice of Mosshart and a glimpse at a solo from Hince. Contrarily, on the very next track “DNA,” you have everything that the track before it was not; the garage rock guitars, some choppy percussion and the seductive vocals of Mosshart.

But for me, the band’s full excellence comes on “The Last Goodbye,” in the latter half of Blood Pressures. Gone is the prominent guitar and present are the comforting lullaby feeling words. With just a piano and some crackly record player sound effects, the track makes you feel as if you are in a different time, perhaps saying goodbye to a good friend, or even a lover. At this stripped down level, the basic fundamentals of this group are savory and sweet, despite the solemnity of the song.  Despite the cheese factor that it could have had on this album, I feel like it would have been much wiser to end with this track. It is such a strong track from this group that the other songs that follow just kind of get lost in the shuffle.

Regardless of track order, this is still a fairly enjoyable album. With its ups and downs, and transitions from grit to clean, The Kills have once again produced a good effort.