On Keep On Your Mean Side, the Kills' first full-length platter, the band is possessed by the (virtually) prerequisite Velvet Underground, evidenced in the cyclical, drone-driven "Some Kinda Love"-like "Kissy Kissy." But unlike the Kills' role models, VV (Alison Mosshart) and Hotel (Jamie Hince) add a frequent and sincerely soulful bluesy tinge to their otherwise deadpan vocals. This blues effect can be gleaned in the music, too, as with the ominous boogie motif driving many of the songs, best evidenced in the insidiously insistent rouser "Fuck the People." Lyrically, the group's subject matter surveys the state of sensual desires with a defiant snarl: Note the "You got it/ I want it" carnal chorus of "Cat's Claw" and the "You wanna fuck and fight" refrain of "Black Rooster." The main downside to this album is its lack of variety -- taken in one sitting, the songs get a little same-y -- but when consumed in small servings, Keep On Your Mean Side satisfies those yearnings for astringent, basement-born noise.
