Kicks

1990s

Product Details

• Vinyl (March 24, 2009)
• Original Release Date: March 24, 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rough Trade Us
• ASIN: B001Q8FRVM
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #624,653 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Vondelpark

2. Tell Me When You're Ready

3. I Don't Even Know What That Is

4. 59

5. Kickstrasse

6. Everybody Please Relax

7. Balthazar

8. Local Science

9. The Box

10. Giddy Up

11. The Kids

12. Sparks

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...crafting catchy jams that alternate between anthemic pop and tightly wound punk" --Rolling Stone

Product Description

The follow-up to the acclaimed "Cookies" features more sassy, infectiously catchy songs about Glasgow and girls in the main. Inspired by "Scary Monsters" / "Golden Years" era Bowie and his work with Eno and Visconti, to Jay-Z through to Hall & Oates, the chops of Hot Chocolate, and even the folk licks of Richard Thompson.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Ok followup, July 9, 2009

By	Greg Kinne "Criticaljoe" (midwest) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Kicks (Audio CD)

On their sophomore album `Kicks,' 1990s return to writing punky pop songs that are often times silly and sarcastic and carry this pseudo "Berlin" vibe. Those looking for any profound meaning in these songs are definitely in the wrong place. The album opens with the chiming "Vondelpark" with vocalist Jackie McKeown initially playing it straight with his best Clash sound-alike. "Tell Me When You're Ready" almost apes Big Audio Dynamite's "The Globe" and The Clash's " Should I Stay Or Should I Go" both in lyrics and chord progression.

"59" could be a Flight of the Conchords outtake. "Kicks" stays rooted in angular sounding pop through a large portion of the album, as 1990s aren't afraid to show their power poppy punk influences on the majority of tracks. On first listen, there were times I thought I was listening to a long lost Dada record especially on "Balthazar" and "Local Science." Depending on how you view early `90's pop music, that's either a good or bad thing. If 1990s released a single with "Dizz-knee Land" on it as a b-side, it wouldn't be out of place.

The last third of the album goes through some weird transitions and references. "The Box" is reminiscent of Iggy Pop's 70's output, while closers "The Kids" and "Sparks" would easily fit on a Joe Jackson album. This creates a slightly schizophrenic listening experience because it doesn't seem to logically progress to me. Maybe it flows in the 1990's world, and I guess that's all that matters.