The Kills
Black Rooster EP

It seems like every week we're presented with yet _ another_ band who are peddling their own brand of rock 'n' roll, which they claim is apparently just how it used to be played 'properly' in the old days. But after a few listens it becomes pretty obvious that it's just… soulless. The same old tired riffs and hooks get included to just make a band sound like their heroes, but they end up losing sight of the fact that that's exactly what the people they aspire to be, _ didn't do_. That's what made their music so timeless in the first place.

So up step The Kills (featuring Jamie from Scarfo) and their Black Rooster E.P. This boy-girl combination who make music somewhere in-between * Captain Beefheart* and the * Royal Trux* that's played with so much passion, talent and tenacity you really won't want to stop listening. You wouldn't be surprised to find them providing the soundtrack to some 70s car film. The band sound tight as they try out both fast paced and a slower, more melodic rock 'n' roll. Calling on more than just beefed-up guitars to make their sound., songs that capture emotion and unlike so many of their peers', have soul. With whatever they use, the lo-fi production is brilliant. Recorded on an 8-track, this E.P has an DIY aesthetic that only adds to the raw feel of it. In the midst of all this jailbreak they also tip their hats to their influences with a superb live cover of Captain Beefheart's 'Dropout Boogie' making it sound like all covers should, as if the band wrote it themselves. The only thing that ruins E.P is the last track 'Gum' which is basically just a Dictaphone sample. Sure it's nice enough but up until now we've been treated to crotch thrusting rock, and it just simply ruins the it's cohesion. It's kinda strange being asked if you like the smell of bubblegum after being asked on the title track 'Black Rooster' if "you wanna fuck and fight?".

This extremely promising E.P shows us what The Kills are all about, and shows other bands how to make music. With one foot in the past, and one in the future. So perhaps there isn't a reason to despair next the NME show us 'The Next Big Thing', because The Kills have arrived. Fuck yeah.