Garage Rock
2003
★★★★☆
When Florida native Alison Mosshart and Londoner Jamie Hince formed The Kills, their sound and image contrasted sharply against the standard indie rocker setup of 3-4 dudes rehashing ‘70s/’80s college rock.
With Mosshart’s ragged vocals and Hince’s scraping, fuzz-drenched guitar however, this two-person setup packed plenty of bite. Like the White Stripes, they modeled their music after American roots music, but narrowed their scope to produce a tight, focused sound that pulsed with the nervy tension of PJ Harvey and the narcotic haze of the Velvet Underground.
Keep on your Mean Side is a noisy getaway soundtrack, an homage to outlaw blues records of the past. On the punky “Cat Claw” and “Fried My Little Brains”, Hince’s guitar buzzes like a rusty chainsaw as he rips through brassy riffs that the production accentuates with a satisfying clang. Ballads like “Gypsy Death and You” place the focus on Mosshart’s vocals and add a tenderness that’s flavoured with solo-era Lou Reed melancholy.
“Kissy Kissy” is a druggy psychedelic ballad that’s very reminiscent of the Velvet Underground’s own “Venus in Furs“. Where the White Stripes were about maximizing the sound of 2 members, the spareness of the Kills’ arrangements create a stark, noirish atmosphere that few bands in this era were able to manage.
1 Superstition 4:40 2 Cat Claw 3:32 3 Pull a U 3:23 4 Kissy Kissy 5:02 5 Fried My Little Brains 2:08 6 Hand 0:50 7 Hitched 4:02 8 Black Rooster 4:24 9 Wait 4:47 10 Fuck the People 4:17 11 Monkey 23 3:06 12 Gypsy Death & You 2:10
