I kicked around a few different possibilities debating what album to upload this week. There were the newer 2011 candidates that are still bouncing around my mind ( Fleet Foxes' Helplesness Blues, DJ Shadow's The Less You Know The Better and St. Vincent's Strange Mercy). There were also some classics (Zappa's Roxy & Elsewhere), and important albums for my personal musical maturation and exploration (The Secret Machines' Now Here Is Nowhere).* However, the simplicity and badassedness of the Kills are what ultimately influenced me.
Sitting on my couch sipping Almond Milk and listening to The Kills seems oxymoronic. My almond milk (it is actually chocolate almond milk) is an exotic creature comfort, an opulent gift to myself. It is a product I don't understand (where are the nipples on almonds?), marketed at an age and income bracket above myself, sold by a company that decided to distinguish their products by baptizing themselves "Silk".
The Kills I understand. A singer and a guitarist laying down hard and rhythmic lines and riffs. The lyrics don't need to be understood or considered to enjoy the song.** It is the wailing guitar. The heaviness of the beat. The quick recognition that the name of the band is a dead-on description of the music. Hand-clapping, foot-stomping rhythms accompany almost every song. The songs are made to energize us. To occupy our bodies and minds. Influence our actions and propel us through the tedium of waiting for the bus or grocery shopping. The Kills are our youthful vigor. Our desire to run through the streets. To dance. To scream and sing at the same time. I am very sorry that I missed them when they rolled through PDX a few months ago. I bet it was a kick ass show. Because that is how I feel when I listen to this album. I bob my head and feel ready to do some parkour or kick ass and just have a good time. So on the next nice Autumn day grab a flannel, a friend, some whiskey, and head out to the park to enjoy the weather, your youth, and some fun, badass music
-Brooks
* I highly (very highly, actually) recommend all these albums, and may end up finally deciding to post them someday...
**Black Balloon and Goodnight Bad Morning notwithstanding. And I do feel that no matter the artist all lyrics have meaning. Even purposely nonsensical ones.
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