A Real Good One

The Little Killers haven't changed much on their second record, A Real Good One. They have jumped labels and hired a new producer, Jim Diamond, who has given their sound a looser and more relaxed feel. Other than that the New York trio still makes a pretty sweet rock & roll racket replete with the obligatory but somehow never stale snotty vocals, pounding tempos, hooky choruses, occasional handclaps and wailing guitar solos. Short, mean, and tough tunes like "Finger Pie," "Don't Leave Me," and "You Better Be Right" compete with longer, more thoughtful (though still totally loud and rambunctious) songs like the Stooges-influenced "Something Special," "Been So Long," and "Fly" to give this record a more two-dimensional appeal that the first record sometimes lacked. Developing new wrinkles to your sound without abandoning what made it so fine in the first place is a neat trick and much credit goes to the group for working it so well. The Little Killers remain all killer and no filler.