Here's the thing: it's impossible to know everything when it comes to music, even when music is part of your job. Dozens of records are released every week and I'm lucky if I can listen to one a week. Sometimes, bands take time to ease into so factor that in too! That being said, I will admit that The Kills had fallen by the wayside of bands I should really know a thing or two about. And man, am I kicking myself right now.
In a last minute effort to soak up as much information as possible about The Kills for an interview the next day, I spent a night combing through the internet for every interview I could get my hands on and I also gave their latest record
Blood Pressures a proper listen. And again, I am kicking myself. Trust me, I'm pretty bruised up from all the kicking.
My taste in music varies a lot but it usually revolves around a good melody and a great hook. So yes, I love my pop music. But every so often, I need something more and The Kills gave me everything I needed and then some. The immediate rhythm that kicks in on opener "Future Starts Slow" hooked me and my goodness, Jamie Hince and Alison Mosshart's shared vocals reeled me right in. Needless to say, that's the only thing I've been listening to for a week now. (And in case you were wondering how the interview went...
click here!)
Also, as a last minute reward, I was able to catch their set later that night at the Sound Academy - a place I constantly tell myself I will never return to but alas... - and even though the $25 cab ride pretty much broke even with the cost of my free admission, I left with no complaints. In fact, I left wanting two things: to desperately be Alison Mosshart and just more. I wanted more!
Mosshart enjoys the tough persona she projects on stage but her soft-spoken, giddy personality in real life is just as magnetic. Live, she's explosive. Strutting on stage, dancing around, building up what I must admit to be the most sexually tense show I've ever witnessed (as I
tweeted: "
The Kills = sex. If this show isn't turning you on right now, I don't know what will.") Offstage, she's sweet and is almost always smiling no matter how much she might not want to be sitting in the middle of nowhere doing an interview on a rainy afternoon. No wonder so many people idolize her.
Style-wise, she really only needs the following things to survive: leather, leopard print, plaid, fur, skinny black pants and an endless supply of black fabrics. It's effortless and classic, like she just rolled out of bed in a perfect outfit every day. Mosshart definitely has a distinct style, one that I can only hope to respectfully imitate (such as the photo above).
Mosshart embodies strength and confidence, showing that women can definitely hold their own in what is still a fairly male-dominated world of rock 'n roll. And she does it all with a kick-ass attitude, a bullshit-free demeanor and a cigarette in one hand. Don't like it? Too fucking bad.
