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Though the album could use a bit more grit and grime, it's still remarkably solid.
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In a sea of pretenders, the Kills are capable of providing some genuine competition for the White Stripes.
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BlenderCocky and nicotine-stained, the Kills revive the cheap art of sinister underground rock and puzzling, mysterious pseudonyms. [May 2003, p.121]
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There are a few moments of weakness on Keep on Your Mean Side - most notably where V.V. and Hotel get a little too repetitive or too simplistic for their own good but it's easy to move past these minor instances without it detracting from the album too much.
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Few debuts are as intriguingly addictive, physically compelling or effortlessly hip as this.
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Many will understandably bore of it quickly, for theres nothing to new to discover after repeat listenings. Yet, it contains enough rock solid tracks to make it recommendable to fans of the genre.
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MagnetKeep On Your Mean Side suffers from the same-samey quicksand tha bogs down the overhyped Yeah Yeah Yeahs. [#58, p.95]
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MojoA record of substance, one that stands head and shoulders above today's garage bashers. [May 2003, p.89]
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Though their minimalism might sometimes sound like straight distillation, the tunes still hit, and hurt.
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There are too few ideas here to really make 'Keep On Your Mean Side' worth our devotion.
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The Kills make the least of their limitations -- rather than magnifying the importance of each choice, the simplicity of the Kills reveals how little thought went into any choice.
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Q MagazineOnce upon a time rock'n'roll was all about the sex you really shouldn't have. The Kills haven't forgotten. [Apr 2003, p.108]
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[A] bruising disc of post-modern blues.
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Keep on Your Mean Side is a solid debut from a duo with enough moxie to shamelessly retread their myriad influences without coming across as so annoyingly derivative as to negate its brash, anything goes energy.
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No, it's not the new White Stripes record -- it's something infinitely better.
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The Kills' sludgy punk-blues doesn't contain many pop melodies or catchy choruses.
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It would make the perfect soundtrack for an evening spent terrorizing hitchhikers and toppling portable toilets.
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UncutThe duo's liking for repetitive Royal Trux-style riffage forms the core of their debut but they frequently explore more sparse territories. [Apr 2003, p.110]
User score distribution:
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Positive: 20 out of 21
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Mixed: 0 out of 21
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Negative: 1 out of 21
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Oct 15, 2017
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May 6, 2011
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FavianRJan 15, 2005