Amazon.com
Jamie "Hotel" Hince might have become tabloid fodder thanks to his relationship with Kate Moss, but the third album by The Kills, his band with American vocalist Alison "VV" Mosshart, does relatively little to tidy itself up for mainstream consumption. Midnight Boom is a typically lean set of makeshift punk-blues characterised by Hince's raw, Nick Zinner-style guitar, and Alison's bad-attitude drawl: see the opening "U.R.A Fever", a beat-up call-and-response number reminiscent of Royal Trux than sees Hince and Mosshart swapping sour quips over loping bass and drum machine thud, while "Cheap and Cheerful" sees Mosshart declaring "I want you to be crazy/'Cos you're boring baby when you're straight". The presence of producer Armani XXXchange of Baltimore hip-hop outfit Spank Rock means there's a greater emphasis here on rhythm, often of a synthetic nature: "Alphabet Pony" bumps along on robust, lo-fi drum kicks and bursts of primitive electronics, while "Black Balloon" is a slow-burner that toys with layered percussion built from hand claps, scrapers, and tapped snare. The Kills still have problems with a big, memorable chorus–-assuming, indeed, that was ever their intention--but Midnight Boom is all about grit and grooves, and it does that just fine. --Louis Pattison

Product Description
This duo subtly and organically fuses pop, glam, blues, art-punk, and hip-hop in a manner that flits between light and dark, funny and morbid, experimental and cute. The result is a short, sharp twelve track album of sensual, fresh, and atmospheric songs. A reminder that no one on earth makes rock 'n' roll quite like The Kills. Previous albums "No Wow" and "Keep On Your Mean Side" have sold over 70,000.

1. U.R.A. Fever
2. Cheap And Chearful
3. Tape Song
4. Getting Down
5. Last Day Of Magic
6. Hook And Line
7. Black Balloon
8. M.E.X.I.C.O.C.U.
9. Sour Cherry
10. Alphabet Pony
11. What New York Used To Be
12. Goodnight Bad Morning

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0012IWHKU/?tag=imwan-20

The Kills Go Rustic To Record New Album

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/art ... 1003686216

London-based rock duo the Kills thought they could cope with recording their latest record in the urban jungle of Los Angeles, but gave up after only a few weeks and split for the wilds of Benton Harbor, Mich.

The far-flung studio had served as their home when they recorded their previous album, 2005's "No Wow," and the pair quickly realized that they needed to be in the middle of nowhere to make their music.

"There were no distractions, and that provides room for creativity," says singer Allison Mosshart. "We had to invent things to do, and that kept us on our toes."

The result of that creativity is "Midnight Boom," due March 18 via Domino. The band worked with Spank Rock producer Alex Epton (aka Armani XXXchange), to try and create a grittier, fuller sound. The Kills also drew inspiration from unlikely sources, such as a documentary about urban youth in the '60s.

"We wanted to create 'modern playground songs,' with really upbeat melodies and dark lyrics, like kids used to sing during recess," says guitarist Jamie Hince.

One place those songs won't be heard is in any TV ads or trilling as cell phones ring. "I hate the ringtone thing; I think it's destroying music," says Hince. Mosshart concurs, "I think the use of music in ads is just ugly. It's so sad that kids don't notice or care anymore when their favorite band cashes in."