Little Bastards (Black 2LP)

The Kills have compiled an extraordinary career spanning b-sides and rarities album titled, appropriately, Little Bastards. The songs date back from the band’s first 7-inch singles in 2002 through to 2009. All of the material has been newly remastered for release, and marks the first ever vinyl pressing for some of these tracks.

The compilation includes the unreleased and never-before-heard demo “Raise Me” from the 2008-2009 Midnight Boom era. Other highlights include “I Call It Art” from the Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited covers compilation, the brilliant Midnight Boom digital bonus track “Night Train”, a blistering performance of “Love Is A Deserter” from an XFM radio session and a handful of classic American roots songs performed with the kind of bruising delivery they’re famous for: Howlin’ Wolfs’ “Forty Four”, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put A Spell on You” and Dock Boggs’ “Sugar Baby”.

First ignited over trans-Atlantic mixtapes shared between two kindred spirits at the turn of the Millennium, the past two decades have seen The Kills master a savage balance, unleashing artful detonation and subtle vocal and guitar violence. That’s five albums and four EPs where Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince reimagined the possibilities of modern duality - alchemizing garage rock, punk, and blues into smoke clouds, psychic carnage, and a smouldering nocturnal slink into a northwest passage between Outkast and Suicide. Their last album, Ash & Ice (2016), was universally lauded, and their most recent release -  a 2018 cover of Saul Williams’ “List Of Demands” b/w Peter Tosh’s “Stepping Razor” – marked 15 years since their first album as The Kills, 2003’s Keep On Your Mean Side. As performers, their chemistry is unmatched and unfettered; magnetic and enthralling whether drenched in guitar feedback or delivering a piano-led torch song under a single spotlight.

The Kills have transcended whatever genres first claimed them and inhabit an entirely unique place in music culture. They are themselves. Inimitable and unparalleled, Little Bastards is a musical refresher manifest as a shot of pure adrenaline. Enjoy the memories. Long may they blaze

Tracklist

1. SUPERPOWERLESS / Last Day Of Magic 7 - 2008
2. PASSION IS ACCURATE / Love Is A Deserter CD single - 2005
3. KISS THE WRONG SIDE / Cheap And Cheerful 7 - 2008
4. RAISE ME / Unreleased Demo 2009
5. NIGHT TRAIN / Midnight Boom Digital Bonus Track 2008
6. HALF OF US / No Wow 7 - 2005
7. LONDON HATES YOU / Tape Song 7 - 2008
8. I CALL IT ART / Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited Compilation - 2006
9. FORTY FOUR / Black Balloon 7 - 2009
10. LOVE IS A DESERTER / Recorded for XFM - 2005
11. THE SEARCH FOR CHERRY RED / Pull A U 7 Single - 2003
12. MAGAZINE / Love Is A Deserter 7 - 2005
13. BLUE MOON / Future Starts Slow 7 single - 2011
14. JEWEL THIEF / Fried My Little Brains 7 single - 2003
15. BABYS EYES / The Good Ones 7 single - 2003
16. I PUT A SPELL ON YOU / Screamin Jay Hawkins Cover - 2009
17. RUN HOME SLOW / The Good Ones CD single - 2005
18. WEED KILLER / Black Balloon 10 - 2009
19. THE VOID / No Wow Expanded Edition CD - 2005
20. SUGAR BABY / Fried My Little Brains CD single - 2003