Blood Pressures

The Kills records an even more dynamic, eclectic, and stylish album

It has been already a decade that the duo The Kills is pleasing the audience with some great music built on vivid drums provided by a drum-machine, successful guitar riffs and the members’ Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince’s vocal parts. The musicians have released three albums all of which got warm acclaim both from critics and listeners, and this year the fourth record is ready, too. The last creation before it was 2008’s Midnight Boom which marked The Kills’ turning towards pop tendencies in its music which had been a little bit heavier and more complicated before. Many explain these changes in the light of certain events in secular life, in particular, Hince’s relationship with the super model Kate Moss, due to which his name can be found in tabloids quite often, and The Kills are invited to various talk shows quite a lot. Since the situation is not actually changed today, the musicians’ creations go on moving in the direction chosen three years ago. And motion it is, indeed, gaining momentum. The Kills’ fourth album Blood Pressures has proved to be even more dynamic, eclectic, stylish and expressive than its predecessor, and the memorable pop-melodies serve a good guarantee that many of its songs will become hits in the nearest future.

A very invigorating record Blood Pressures

As one should have expected, the instrumental line-up has not changed absolutely on Blood Pressures: the drum-machine with its incredible sonic opportunities, guitars, and vocalists’ voices – all of it is united into eleven different variants of musical tangles, which comprise this very invigorating record. The opening track Future Starts Slow declares at once out loud that The Kills is still able to surprise us with impressive drums and successful riffs, and when the duet Mosshart-Hince gets into the music all one’s doubts are gone. The powerful, heavy song Satellite starts from a low resonant guitar distortion and is saturated with the industrial society’s spirit, and Heart Is A Beating Drum is filled with the most varied emotions from passion to gayety. One of the most sparkling and contagious numbers on the album is the incredibly energetic Nail In My Coffin, most of dance music fans are going to be completely delighted on hearing it. The psychedelic slow track Wild Charms allows the listeners to have a little rest after the impetuous fun, whereas DNA is an amazingly atmospheric pop rock number with Alison’s wonderful voice sounding against the background of guitar repeating exactly the light melody. Another ballad The Last Goodbye proves to be the most romantic and soulful moment on the album, while Damned If She Do is a bit reminiscent of The Kills’ earlier works with a heavy arrangement and Alison’s vulnerable voice. The memorable rebuff You Don't Own The Road is especially impressive with the powerful chorus and insistent distorted guitars, and the final track Pots And Pans is a calm, slightly tense pop-rock ballad.

Minimum melancholy and vulnerability, maximum joy and a bit of romance

As a band which has not changed its music concept even once in the entire history of its existence, The Kills definitely deserves praise. The fans recognize their songs at once from the powerful artificial drums’ sounds, and the musicians are not repeating themselves for the fourth album in a row now, taking some fantastically contagious beats out from their drum-machine again. The record Blood Pressures is partially similar to the third album, a couple of tracks remind of even earlier creations, and the rest of it are even more eclectic songs than The Kills has ever made. This is why the British American duet can be sure that its fourth album is going to be successful and popular to a no less extent, and even to a greater one, than the first three records. Minimum melancholy and vulnerability, maximum joy and a bit of romance – this is The Kills’ new formula found three years ago, and it works greatly on Blood Pressures. It is the joyful, danceable, bold and vivid tracks that are accentuated and comprise the basic impression about the album. Most probably, as soon as the members’ personal life is all right, the positive mood will be prevailing in their works, so we can only guess what The Kills’ next record is going to be like. Anyway, it will surely be no less sparkling and emotional than Blood Pressures.