The Kills – God Games
Rock duo The Kills return with a new album for the first time in seven years, delivering more of their trademark grooves but failing to offer much in the way of new ideas
The Kills are a band with a well-defined sound. Alison Mosshart supplies soulful and soaring vocals, Jamie Hince provides bluesy and grimy guitar licks, while a drum machine plugs away in the background with minimal fuss. It's been a successful formula, and if you're a fan of the band, you're likely to be very satisfied with their latest release.
Tracks like Bullet Sound and Kingdom Come showcase The Kills' obvious ability to distil rock'n'roll down to the most simple and important ingredients: a catchy guitar riff, crooning vocals and a drum beat that makes you want to tap your feet. Album opener New York is the standout song on the record, richly layered, grand-sounding, complete with horns and a killer chorus. It's the band at their very best, and it shows exactly what they're capable of.
It's a shame then that much of the rest of the album fails to live up to this high standard, and too many of the tracks simply sound like filler. Wasterpiece and My Girls My Girls aren't songs that will live long in the memory, while the title track is sadly underwhelming.
God Games provides glimpses of what makes The Kills so compelling, but is unlikely to convert many new listeners to the cause.
Listen To: New York, Bullet Sound, Kingdom Come