All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Los Angeles Times

The biggest advance is that the Kills now wrap their songs, from the enchanting "The Good Ones" to the especially anxious "I Hate the Way You Love," in melodies that are disarmingly sweet and seductive. [6 Mar 2005]

100

Junkmedia

No Wow is pure sex, pulsating blues-based rock and roll from start to finish.

Read Full Review >

Lost At Sea

It's a brutal record that changes you the same way prison changes a man.

Read Full Review >

Pitchfork

No Wow steps up to the promise of their EPs and debut LP, a boisterous reminder that kids can still hook up to songs that are little more than a guitar and attitude.

Read Full Review >

Alternative Press

VV naturally still resembles PJ Harvey prepping for a catfight in spots, but her vocals on standout pop nugget "Rodeo Town" reveal vulnerability reminiscent of the original tough cookie, the Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde. [Apr 2005, p.126]

The New York Times

For all that the Kills owe to P. J. Harvey, they also have angles of their own. [13 Mar 2005]

Mojo

Its claustrophobia is total, unique, spellbinding. [Mar 2005, p.106]

Drowned In Sound

If 2003 debut ‘Keep On Your Mean Side’ was a barren sounding album, their new LP is positively spartan.

Read Full Review >

PopMatters

Despite the pretentiousness and a bit of a drag in the middle, No Wow is a very smart, very engaging album.

Read Full Review >

cokemachineglow

While No Wow certainly has its missteps, they largely come as a result of the band’s most basic concept: simplicity and repetition.

Read Full Review >

Splendid

They've traded amped-up aggression for seething sexuality without losing any of their muscular bite.

Read Full Review >

All Music Guide

A tight, mean set of songs.

Read Full Review >

Magnet

No Wow is mechanical yet sexy, and a soulful, grinding groove is key. [#67, p.102]

Spin

Romantic defeatism can be charming if you infuse it with enough daydreaming, art-school blues. [Mar 2005, p.92]

Entertainment Weekly

[The Kills] use overdriven riffs and ticky-tacky drum-machine beats to create a steamy mood of sexual menace and druggy abandon. [11 Mar 2005, p.102]

Blender

The Kills have put some machine-generated flesh on their bare-bones style. [Apr 2005, p.123]

ShakingThrough.net

It’s one thing to strive for the primal truth of a particular sound; it’s another to vainly bludgeon a thoroughly pulverized style in search of unsullied beats.

Read Full Review >

The Guardian

Somehow, though, the Kills' sludge-coloured, super-lo-fi sulkiness charms despite itself

Read Full Review >

The Onion (A.V. Club)

No Wow doesn't make a huge stylistic leap from The Kills' 2003 debut, Keep On Your Mean Side.... Instead, they narrow the focus and amp up the intensity.

Read Full Review >

Rolling Stone

No Wow is smaller, more focused, with less hip-shaking and more goth.

Read Full Review >

Dot Music

Mosshart still sounds like PJ Harvey’s brattish American sister, Hince still retains the ability to craft tunes from nothing and blurred sepia images of the two of them abound. But somehow, despite all the achingly hip self-mythology, The Kills are still capable of mustering up convincingly great rock'n'roll.

Read Full Review >

Tiny Mix Tapes

One criticism of The Kills is that their stance can feel like a bit of a pose; sometimes it feels like there's a hole where the soul should be. The tracks can also sound a tad too similar.

Read Full Review >

Delusions of Adequacy

An above-average nouveau-garage punk record that blends the elements of disjointed noise, R&B-inflected punk and a post-modern pop sensibility into something interesting and enjoyable, but not quite groundbreaking.

Read Full Review >

Under The Radar

Stripped down, barebones rock'n'roll that's low on innovation but high on raw, charged sexual energy. [#9]

Q Magazine

An even more spare-sounding album. [Mar 2005, p.100]

Uncut

To anyone over 16 it's Suicide/Velvets karaoke, a hacky homage to heroes rather than anything with fresh blood on its teeth. [Mar 2005, p.96]

No Ripcord

If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve heard before, you won’t be disappointed – all the darkness, grime and perversion is here or implied.... But if you’re looking for variation, innovation, or thematic depth, it’s unlikely you’ll find it here.

Read Full Review >

Paste Magazine

Generally less intense and more coy, ponderous and forced [than Keep On Your Mean Side]. [Apr/May 2005, p.132]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 7.9 (out of 10) based on 18 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

James H gave it an8:
Very good album. High points include "At the Back of the Shell" and "Love is a Deserter". Stripped down and dirty rock.......dark...but quite a bit of fun. Somehow makes you feel cool while listening.

Christopher L gave it a7:
Rodeo Town the standout track for me.

Jeremy Bk gave it a7:
Maybe I should give the band a higher number. I like this album a lot, more than the first album, which I also liked a lot, though it was uneven. They are a very intelligent band, alternating very simple patterns, gradually and continuously. It's like minimalism in rock/punk/blues. I like this a lot more than White Stripes crap, which I worry they'll be compared to. The Stripes are so strident and aren't as subtle. But I quit listening to them after their second album, so maybe the comment's unfair. The lyrics on this new K's album are also funny --lots of small plays on patterns and cliches. Esp. Dead Rd. 7. They're playful and they have done a focused raw that's really good. The album isn't higher than a 7 bcs I don't know if it 'll last and don't think it's classic. But it's good.

Gianluca M gave it a9:
This duo, after Keep on your mean side, demonstrate that they do good music. for me one of the best indie/rock album of 2005.

Davis W gave it a7:
This band is more of a live act (highly, highly recommended if you haven't seen them) but the album is still a good listen. I find their debut "Keep On Your Mean Side" more sexy and more fun but this is still worthy of a purchase.

John R gave it a9:
Wanted to give it an 8.5....It's a good record, dark but not for show...Very effective.

Seamus S gave it a10:
Brilliant, Brutal, Beautiful The Three Bs of Rock Music This is an amazing cd TO agree with the review PURE SEX

Music

Upcoming &Recent Releases

No Wow

Album Info

Summary

What The Critics Said

What Our Users Said

Upcoming &
Recent Releases