Track listing
- 1 Superstition 4:40
- 2 Cat Claw 3:32
- 3 Pull a U 3:23
- 4 Kissy Kissy 5:02
- 5 Fried My Little Brains 2:08
- 6 Hand 0:50
- 7 Hitched 4:02
- 8 Black Rooster 4:24
- 9 Wait 4:47
- 10 Fuck the People 4:17
- 11 Monkey 23 3:06
- 12 Gypsy Death & You 2:10
- Total length: 42:21
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9 Issues
- Release view [combined information for all issues]
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Keep on Your Mean Side 33 rpm
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Keep on Your Mean Side Promo
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Keep on Your Mean Side 180 gram, 33 rpm
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Keep on Your Mean Side Digital file
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Keep on Your Mean Side 180 gram
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Keep on Your Mean Side Bonus Tracks
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Keep on Your Mean Side StreamingDigital File
28 Reviews
A whole lotta eyeliner and city sneer posturing with precious little nasty musicianship to match, it's little doubt that the descriptors "rudimentary" and "derivative" get tossed about so freely in regards to The Kills' drug-dazzled garage scuzz. This two piece flings would-be pentatonic monoliths at the walls of their practice space in hopes that a few beginner guitar runs stick, but for all the staged smoke n' strife they can't fathom the distance left to run. Only two tracks, 'Cat's Claw' and 'Fuck the People', warrant a spot in the troubled and righteously posing undergrad's iPod Nano. You're well-advised to keep it at 'Cat's Claw', and even that song's nothing a little Black Keys, White Stripes and PJ Harvey won't trim back to the cuticle.
Published
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1
Superstition
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2
Cat Claw
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3
Pull a U
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4
Kissy Kissy
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5
Fried My Little Brains
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6 Hand
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7
Hitched
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8
Black Rooster
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9
Wait
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10
Fuck the People
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11
Monkey 23
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12
Gypsy Death & You
Published
06076-83209-2 CD (2003)
This lil' record here just about sums up every single terrible thing about indie rock in the early 00s. The Kills - at this point in their career - were little more than a very basic garage rock duo that had little to offer any well-versed listener in the genre. Indeed, it doesn't have much to offer at all. There's a certain string of elements you have to fit together well in order to make garage rock work. It ranges from the small (noisy, loose drumming) to the big (actual riffs, a bit of tempo), but it has to be there. Garage rock isn't just doing an extremely bare-bones White Stripes impersonation. There's more to it. Unfortunately, The Kills would not realise this for almost an entire decade.
With a degree in anthropology, I'm usually pretty good at observing and understanding phenomena from other people's point of view. I spent nearly three years learning nothing but that. So I can usually do that with music, too. I can usually, without much effort, find the appeal in anything, even if I'm not part of that specific target audience. With this album, I can't imagine neither who this appeals to, nor who it was meant to appeal to. It lacks everything I'd associate with quality rock, quality indie, quality garage; quality anything. The Kills would get (slightly) better in the future, though.
With a degree in anthropology, I'm usually pretty good at observing and understanding phenomena from other people's point of view. I spent nearly three years learning nothing but that. So I can usually do that with music, too. I can usually, without much effort, find the appeal in anything, even if I'm not part of that specific target audience. With this album, I can't imagine neither who this appeals to, nor who it was meant to appeal to. It lacks everything I'd associate with quality rock, quality indie, quality garage; quality anything. The Kills would get (slightly) better in the future, though.
Published
If you like your rock music stripped down, this might just be for you. Anyone out there not familiar with The Kills might like this set, if you are in favour of the more basic output by, for example, The White Stripes. The general feel of this album is 'back to basics' with guitar, drums and the sexy, and very American lead vocals of Alison Mosshart (who featured in Jack White's Dead Weather band).
Having fairly enjoyed this debut album, I am not tempted to invest in the later albums, but I am quite happy to have 'Keep On Your Mean Side' in the collection as a good example of garage, bluesy rock.
Key Track: Cat Claw
Having fairly enjoyed this debut album, I am not tempted to invest in the later albums, but I am quite happy to have 'Keep On Your Mean Side' in the collection as a good example of garage, bluesy rock.
Key Track: Cat Claw
Published
Not bad, but they got better. This one sticks much closer to the bloooze. Still cool. Always cool.
Published
Many disagree but for me this is The Kills most consistently high quality album from start to finish. Every song on here is at least good and there are some real classic blues rock riffs on here. A proper rock and roll record in every sense and one that will hav eyou pounding your feet. Reeks of attitude with the tunes to back it up.
Published
Girl boy primitive rock duo here ... but the similarity with the white stripes ends there . The kills use a drum machine for a start but they also seem more enamoured with the scuzzy lo-fi modern garage sounds of the yeahyeahyeah's, BRMC and PJ harvey than blind willie mctell - wheras jack white knows his blues inside out .
But the kills arent terrible thats for sure , alison mosshart isnt a bad singer at all ,when her voice is given some space amongst the sludgy overdriven guitar sound that is and when it does happen like on "wait" the kills head more towards a very pleasing psychedelic mazzy star sound .
Jamie Hince is a good guitarist too , check out his riffing over the velvets beats of "black rooster" . Similarly his trippy,minimalistic playing on "kissykissy" or his jim reid homages of "superstition" and "fuck the people" are brilliantly done .
There is a whiff of hollowness and lazyness about this debut album at times though - I'm not sure they do enough to elevate them into the realms of the acts they admire. But theres potential enough , im keen to hear where they go from here ....
But the kills arent terrible thats for sure , alison mosshart isnt a bad singer at all ,when her voice is given some space amongst the sludgy overdriven guitar sound that is and when it does happen like on "wait" the kills head more towards a very pleasing psychedelic mazzy star sound .
Jamie Hince is a good guitarist too , check out his riffing over the velvets beats of "black rooster" . Similarly his trippy,minimalistic playing on "kissykissy" or his jim reid homages of "superstition" and "fuck the people" are brilliantly done .
There is a whiff of hollowness and lazyness about this debut album at times though - I'm not sure they do enough to elevate them into the realms of the acts they admire. But theres potential enough , im keen to hear where they go from here ....
Published
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dirty boots, leather jacket, cigarettes and a lot of booze!
Published
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Catalog
15 Apr 2024
14 Apr 2024
11 Apr 2024
7 Apr 2024
5 Apr 2024
4 Apr 2024
3 Apr 2024
3 Apr 2024
23 Mar 2024
16 Mar 2024
14 Mar 2024
5 Mar 2024
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1
Superstition
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2
Cat Claw
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3
Pull a U
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4
Kissy Kissy
-
5
Fried My Little Brains
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6
Hand
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7
Hitched
-
8
Black Rooster
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9
Wait
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10
Fuck the People
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11
Monkey 23
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12
Gypsy Death & You
24 Feb 2024
16 Feb 2024
14 Feb 2024
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