The Kills: Keep on Your Mean Side

By RUSSELL BAILLIE

(Herald rating: * * * *)

And this week's second garage rock double-act is American singer-guitarist VV (Alison Mosshart) and English multi- instrumentalist Hotel (Jamie Hince).

Their debut is a scratchy, droning, reverb-soaked affair that might recall everyone from the Velvet Underground to Patti Smith, to the Jesus and Mary Chain, to PJ Harvey.

But it is still oddly seductive for how its simple but atmospheric songs create the impression that The Kills might well be mad, bad or dangerous to know.

Tracks such as the opener Superstition consist of what sounds like a misheard Kinks' riff, VV's sexy sneer, a minimal beat and a truckload of feedback; Cat Claw is stuttering primitive guitars and more come-hither singing, while near the end the [expletive] the People shuffles and throbs with amusing misanthropy before the acoustic Gypsy Death and You brings things to an gentle end. Wickedly good.

Label: Liberation/In Music