Midnight Boom (Bonus Track Version)

Surprisingly, you have to dig to find a distorted guitar on Midnight Boom, the new album by duo The Kills who have built their career on fuzzy guitars and bluesy, brash, and sexy song constructs. Influenced by early electronic-punk artists such as Suicide and Cabaret Voltaire, as well as "playground songs" from a 1960s documentary about inner city American kids, vocalist Alison Mosshart and guitarist Jamie Hince set about creating a sleeker, more sophisticated sound on their third album, without losing their famous patina of sexual menace. “Cheap and Cheerful,” the first single, does a superb job of melding this new, shiny, electro-clash sound with The Kill’s trademark naughty attitude. Fans reluctant to follow the duo down their new path might warm up to the idea with “URA Fever,” or bonus track “Night Train,” both of which come close to the original Kills sound, with slow grinds and gritty guitars; then, try “Hook and Line” or “M.E.X.I.C.O” for an aggressive guitar-rock fix. Progressing to the bubbly “Getting Down” or the frisky “Alphabet Pony” will be easy and natural, and the Velvet Underground coloring of  “Goodnight Bad Morning” brings it all full circle ... you will see the light.