Were they French, Alison ‘VV’ Mosshart and Jamie ‘Hotel’ Hince would be easily compared to Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin’she of startling beauty, he of effortless cool, both chain smoking as if Silk Cuts were their muse. Of course, Mosshart’s Florida upbringing and Hince’s UK residence, along with the band’s blues-rock tendencies, meant White Stripes references have been the dominant touchstone. But recent developments like Hince being linked to a post- Pete Doherty Kate Moss and more importantly, the sultry burn of Midnight Boom, makes the duo seem more continental than ever. First single, ‘U.R.A. Fever,’ might be built around the stomp and clap of The Kills’ past, but the tone is far more dark and tawdry, while ‘Cheap and Cheerful’ has enough shake and pop to move the dance floor, something new to the band.

Producer Alex ‘Armani XXXchange’ proves his prowess beyond Spank Rock’s space age booty clap tracks, pushing the bass and percussion around until even the most straight forward rock possesses an otherworldliness absent from previous Kills records. All this makes Midnight Boom the duo’s most accomplished release to date. An album that one suspects will age
extremely well.

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