midnight boom begins more subdued than it’s title suggests, as “u.r.a. fever” shuffles and stomps, alternating dial tones with hand claps, while its bass-line rumbles along, supporting the call and response dialogue between mosshart and hince as they repeat the song’s accusatory title. the song builds, and the bass-line develops, getting dirtier, collecting all the grit and grime in it’s path, as the central lyric then shifts inwards, to “i’m a fever” and “we are a fever,” making the song less of an indictment and more of a celebration. from that point on, the album revels in its dark, sexy, dirty, fun rendition of the blues, sounding like like a terry richardson photograph put to tape. only occasionally do they falter, as the electro/peaches schtick on “cheap and cheerful” wears a bit thin, but the volatile nature of the band shines through on the rest of the record.
Filed under: Album Review , 2008, midnight boom, the kills
