Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
Something tells me the word “subtle” is not in Electric Six’s collective vocabulary. All one has to do is take a peek at the new music video for “Body Shot,” the first of 13 songs from their forthcoming album, Kill. The video (viewable here — big time NSFW Warning, folks!), which features explicit nudity and fetishistic sexual innuendo galore, is guaranteed to raise an eyebrow or two amongst the conservatives (and even the not-so-conservatives). But, despite the “objectionable” material featured in the video, one can’t help getting into the groove of “Body Shot.”
Actually, truth be told, one can’t help getting into the groove with the entire Kill album. It’s a wild and wonderful musical martini, concocted from the finest top-shelf genres – and it packs a hell of a kick, too! Lead singer Dick Valentine (aka Tyler Spencer) has a truly marvelous and versatile voice, and could pull off anything from Sinatra to Screamo without so much as a hitch. Throughout Kill, Valentine displays his vocal abilities as well as his talent for writing funny-but-poignant lyrics, taking us on a bold and often preposterous (but in an enjoyable way) journey into everything from sex to politics.
On the music end of the spectrum, Kill brings Electric Six’s finest sounds out in the open (beware: this album may blow your speakers along with your mind). The band’s eclectic (and Electric) trademark style of fusing current (and past) musical varieties such as disco, metal, punk, and new wave together really pays off here (as it has done with their previous albums). Aside from the previously mentioned “Body Shot,” some of Kill’s best highlights would have to be “Egyptian Cowboy,” “Escape From Ohio,” “The Newark Airport Boogie,” and “White Eyes.”
Energetic to the nth degree, assembled with some of the most dance-ilicious beats and sounds ever assembled on one (very diverse) album. In short: Kill his is one of the best albums of the year — bar none. Get it.
