The Kills

Black Rooster (Dim Mak)

By Anne C. Johnson
Published: August 24th, 2002 | 12:26pm

What do you get when you combine W and Hotel, a female US émigré and a male UK native? In this particular incarnation you get London-based the Kills, whose first release highlights some of the finer points of blues-y, garage-y music adorned subtly with some more modern touches (and a Captain Beefheart cover to boot!).

The EP begins ferociously with "Cat Claw," a tough little snarl of a song with a great, taunting sing-along chorus. The title track is a sexy, hip-swinging, blush-inducing number. The Kills have an exciting back-and-forth delivery going on that would be great to witness live. The listener is permitted a breather with the more toned-down "Wait," then the energy is back up again with their interesting "Dropout Boogie" (do I hear the Fall in there?). Unfortunately, everything ends on a sticky note with the spooky, spoken-word offering (à la Kim Gordon) "Gum," which has got to be intentionally irritating (but, strangely, continues to grow on me!).

www.dimmak.com