The Real Music

.net

You know you have a great album when it becomes an emotional experience for you. It gnaws away at your insides to the point that you have no idea how to act, think, or feel. Don't get me wrong, repeat listens also determine an album’s greatness, but it's always that first listen that defines an album, kind of like its first impression on you. If the Portland based dream pop band was wanting to step on the pedestal of greatness with repeat listens, they'd be sorely disappointed due to the album’s one and a half hour length. However, they could have a fighting chance in the 'emotional experience' department with Kill For Love, their fifth studio album since they formed in 2001.

"My, my, hey, hey/Rock n' Roll is here to stay". From the start, their decision to cover Neil Young's 1979 song "My My Hey Hey" is the greatest way to set the hauntingly beautiful mood of the entire album. It's cold, lonely, and downright depressing, making it the perfect music to think to. In the huge sea of songs that is Kill For Love, a couple of tracks stand out more than others, like "Into the Black", "Back From the Grave",”Lady", and "These Streets Will Never Look the Same", (which has potential to be the best song of the year), and that's only to name a few during the first half of the album.

One factor that really hurts the record is the length. I've seen three versions of the album, some with 13 tracks, most with 16 tracks, but I have the longest version, the iTunes version, which contains 17 tracks. Although albums that exceed an hour in length usually don't get me interested, I decided to tough it out and listen to it in one sitting. That's one of the great things about Kill For Love, it works best when heard all at once and let the minimal, lo-fi production and creepy nature of the songs start to take effect and realize their full potential on you.

If Chromatics will tone down the length on their next release, then I think that it's possible to see a modern example of a timeless classic. But until that happens, we'll have to be content with the depressingly majestic Kill For Love for just a while longer.  

B. W. Everett, 14/07/12