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The Kills are an English-American rock duo formed by American singer Alison "VV" Mosshart and English guitarist Jamie "Hotel" Hince.
No Wow is the second studio album by indie rock band The Kills. It was released February 21, 2005, on Domino Records. No Wow showcases definite blues and post-punk influences.
It's hard to believe that the Kills could sound even darker, tighter, and more stripped-down than they did on Keep on Your Mean Side, but somehow they managed it: No Wow is one of the most highly concentrated rock albums in a long, long time. In fact, its tight focus and barely relenting intensity make Keep on Your Mean Side's more traditional ebb and flow feel downright slack.
The band's throbbing guitars, to-the-point rhythms, and sexy, dangerous lyrics have been simmered and tempered down to their barest essences, so much so that No Wow often feels like a stark, stylized caricature of rock. Less is usually more for the Kills, though, and they sound more powerful, more confident, and more distinctive here than they did on their debut.
"No Wow" itself is a fantastic opener, a powerful statement of intent and of curdled but still compelling love (or lust), the likes of which hasn't been heard since Rid of Me's title track.
From there, the album doesn't let up until the sweetly narcotized "I Hate the Way You Love, Pt. 2." Most of No Wow feels like monochromatic variations on the same sounds and themes -- monochromatic, but not monotonous.
Wisely, the Kills have chosen to let their drum machine sound like a drum machine, giving songs like "Love Is a Deserter" a skeletal clatter for a backbone, and others, such as "The Good Ones" and "Sweet Cloud," a piston-like thrust.
The magnificently taut "Dead Road 7" adds shades of menacing, mysterious country/blues storytelling to the band's songwriting, a direction they should pursue more. At times, No Wow can feel a little too compressed and high-contrast for its own good -- the album downplays the poppier moments that balanced Keep on Your Mean Side's onslaughts.
However, since there are so few soft, slow songs here, they're thrown into even sharper relief. "Rodeo Town" is one of the loveliest, and grittiest, ballads that the band has written, and "Ticket Man" ends the album on a hypnotic, reflective note.
And though Hotel's vocals are also downplayed (and missed), it has to be said that VV does a compelling job of handling the lioness' share of the singing. A tight, mean set of songs, No Wow feels like a fight going on in a closet -- there's no room for punches to swing, but all of the shoving and grappling makes just as big an impact.
Track listing
1. No Wow/Telephone Radio Germany - 4:47
2. Love is a Deserter - 3:48
3. Dead Road 7 - 3:23
4. The Good Ones - 3:29
5. I Hate the Way You Love - 3:37
6. I Hate the Way You Love, Pt. 2 - 1:46
7. At the Back of the Shell - 2:27
8. Sweet Cloud - 5:06
9. Rodeo Town - 4:24
10. Murdermile - 4:25
11. Ticket Man - 2:49
Companies, etc.
- Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Domino Recording Co. Ltd.
- Copyright © – Domino Recording Co. Ltd.
- Published By – EMI Music Publishing Ltd.
- Recorded At – Sear Sound
- Mixed At – Sear Sound
- Recorded At – Studio Black Box
- Mastered At – Sterling Sound
Credits
- Engineer [Assistant] – TJ Doherty
- Management – Alan McGee, Creation Management, Stephen King (5)
- Management [Assisted By] – Richie Folkes
- Mastered By – Greg Calbi
- Mixed By – John Agnello
- Photography By [Back Photo] – Chris Shaw
- Producer, Written-By, Performer, Artwork [All Art], Photography By [All Photography Except Back Photo] – The Kills
- Recorded By – John Agnello (tracks: 1, 3, 4 to 12)
Notes
Release Date: March 8, 2005
Recording Date: May 20, 2004 - September 24, 2004
Recording Location: Black Box, France / Sear Sound Studios, New York, NY
Genre: Alternative, Indie Rock
Styles: Garage Punk
Duration: 40:01
Label - Domino Records
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