Now here is a band that is criminally underrated. And again, one about whom no-one except my good friend Jayne, who introduced me to them, seems to have heard (in my experience). Even the guy we got talking to when we got to see them live was there to see someone else.
Kill It Kid are fantastic, and this is one of my favourite ever albums. Produced by Eels and PJ Harvey producer John Parish as a teaching exercise at Bath University, its complex riffs, grinding bluegrass-style guitar and heavy beats are right up my alley. To go along with those, there's folksy harmonies, beautiful lyrics and - in my mind - an incredible violinist (Richard Jones, who unfortunately left the band after this album).
Lead singer Chris Turpin's vocals are bluesy and unique - the power of his voice only became fully apparent to me when I saw him perform on stage. I wondered how that sound didn't damage him on its way out. And it's perfectly complimented by the other singer/keyboardist Stephanie Ward, whose delicate feminine tone harmonises wonderfully with his throaty timbre.
An evocative album, it always puts me in mind of dusty desert roads and the deep South - even after the surprising revelation that it's creators are a group of English university students.
I urge you to listen to this album - I cannot fault it and I never tire of it.
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