The Kills @ First Avenue 5/5/11 (Concert Review)

Every generation has its notable musical duos. Whether it be The Everly Brothers, Simon & Garfunkel, Milli Vanilli, The White Stripes (or somewhere in between), the two-person group is one of the most difficult things to pull of in modern music. Last night at First Avenue, The Kills tossed out a giant middle finger to that notion as they commanded the sold-out Minneapolis crowd with a near 90 minute barrage of punkish energy mixed with bluesy sophistication. Never did being a duo seem so simple, but Alison Mosshart & Jamie Hince did exactly that, while at the same time exuding a confident "this is how you perform" aura.

Opening with "No Wow" which brought many a 'wow' from the capacity crowd, The Kills were welcomely in our face but eased into our ears (which was very much appreciated after Cold Cave's, um, loud opening set). After they continued with the rocking "Kissy Kissy," the duo jumped into their most recent work, Blood Pressures, head on. "Heart is a Beating Drum" and "Future Stars Slow" were heard back to back, while Mosshart & Hince seductively scanned the the audience with entrancing eyes. Mosshart flailed back-and-forth wildly, her jet black hair whipping through the cold blue lights as her hilarious Paddy Costello-emblazoned tee seemed to get equal attention.

Soon after, they got into their current single, "Satellite," which was given a jolt of live energy, something the album version can never live up to. The real treat during the early night show for me, though, was the excellent rendition of "Baby Says," easily my favorite song on the new disc (and the most perfectly reimagined of their live set). Mosshart paced along the stage, brushed her hair back and spit a few times (which, yeah, she can make sexy), all while somehow sounding innocent and empowering at the same time. As they quickly got into the main set closer "Sour Cherry" a few songs later, not a single sweaty soul in the club had eyes for anyone but Mosshart.

After a brief break, the two stepped back onstage for a breather of an encore opener, "The Last Goodbye," which allowed Mosshart to showcase her chops (and her hair some more). This would've been a perfect closer, but alas, they had more. "Pots & Pans" was especially epic, but it was "Fried My Little Brains" that put the proverbial cork in the night. Hince & Mosshart bounded spastically as the clamoring crowd urged on every note, every movement. Seeing two performers of this stature destroy the conventional thinking of duos so painlessly was truly a sight (and sound) to enjoy.

The Kills - Blood Pressures (Album Review)

THE KILLS * BLOOD PRESSURES

(Domino Records)

The Kills are a raw, seductive band. Alison Mosshart is a natural, sultry frontwoman. Jamie Hince is a technical and innovative collaborator. Blood Pressures is a damn fine album, and a step forward for the duo. Building on their thunderous bluesy sounds that defined the band before Mosshart's brief stint fronting The Dead Weather, The Kills have tweaked their vision throughout their fourth full-length, stealing away any comfortable feeling we once had with their direction.

Blood Pressures kicks off with the driving chants of "Future Starts Slow," which shows the duo matching each other word for word, note for note, in perfect unison. Hince's guitar howls then fades to a close as we get into "Satellite," the album's first single, and a track surprisingly heavy on dirty upstrokes. The chorus (or was that the pre-chorus?) is a perfectly haunting collection of "ohs," again ideally doubled by both band members. As the track steadily thrashes to a close, we're reminded of the unique rhythms that these two have always been able to produce. Both "Nail In My Coffin" and "DNA" are deliciously head-nodding and capable of book-ending the curious inclusion of "Wild Charms," a brief intermission of sorts, featuring Hince on lead vocals in a "peekaboo I see you" manner. Enjoyable? Yes. Necessary? TBD.

The second half of the album kicks off with the album's best track, "Baby Says." This return-to-form showcases Mosshart's vocals oozing with with incapacitating want as Hince's perfectly delayed guitar scales the track's exterior. Reminiscent of their earlier [more] lo-fi days, "Baby Says" is a statement track, one that says "this is how you record music."  Mosshart continues to shine as "Last Goodbye" gives her plenty of room to put her vocals in the forefront, all while we hear Hince create a sound wall reminiscent of something you'd hear off of a Stars record. As the album comes to a close with the at-times upbeat "Pots & Pans," we can't help but notice that Mosshart learned more than a thing or two from Dead Weather band mate Jack White, as the occasional twang resonates between her vocals and Hince's buzzing acoustic guitar. 

Blood Pressures comes across as a reunion of sorts. Throughout the 11 songs, both Mosshart & Hince give off a "I missed you" vibe; one their fans will surely reciprocate.

Grade: A-

Quick Hits 3/4/11 (News, Concerts, Free Album Streaming)

Blake Sennett misses Donkey Lips

Rilo Kiley lead guitarist Blake Sennett (aka Pinsky from "Salute Your Shorts") has played second fiddle to Jenny Lewis for many years. After Jenny embarked on her solo career (and subsequent pairing with lover Johnathan Rice), I was crossing my fingers that Sennett would return to The Elected moniker and release a follow up to 2006's excellent Sun, Sun, Sun. Well he did it, and this week Spin posted the falsetto-rich new track here. A change of pace and a welcome back. The new album, Bury Me In My Rings, hits stores on 5/17 via Vagrant Records.

The Kills, appropriately smoking

Minneapolis clubs have been announcing a ton of high-quality gigs for the late Spring / early Summer as of late. Make sure you pick up tickets to the following before it's too late:

*The Kills w/ Cold Cave - 5/5 @ First Avenue

*Iron & Wine w/ The Head and the Heart - 6/8 @ First Avenue

*Architecture in Helsinki - 6/9 @ Varsity Theater

*Okkervil River w/ Future Islands (and maybe Titus Andronicus) - 6/12 @ First Avenue

These guys are still around?

Local dude-rock station 93X has announced plans to bring back X-Fest after a 7 year hiatus, 5/28 at Midway Stadium. The macho daylong festival will feature Godsmack, Puddle of Mudd, Black Label Society and various other bands I had no idea were still making music. I've wanted the station to bring back this festival for years now (well, I'd rather have it harken back to the Edgefest days). I think it's important for the Minneapolis area to host bigger outdoor festivals again. Given this lineup, though, I'm starting to think 93X forgot it's actually 2011. Details here.

If you're looking for some new music on the cheap (aka free), you can find new albums from the following currently available at a variety of free (and legal) streaming sites:

*Rural Alberta Advantage, Middle Brother, Beady Eye, Ron Sexsmith and more at Spinner.

*R.E.M., Wye Oak, The Mountain Goats, Kurt Vile and Alexi Murdoch at NPR First Listen.

*Elbow, DeVotchKa, Julianna Barwick and a ton more at 3VOOR12.