Self described as superstars, Detroit’s wild bunch Electric Six offers listeners a little bit of everything. Based in rock, you also get some new wave, pop and a just a touch of disco from time to time. As a result, Electric Six gives us nothing new to music but offers up some catchy tracks.
This six piece, headed up by Dick Valentine, has as many sounds as it does former members. Kill, the band’s sixth full-length album, is a thirteen track, high energy, mash of different sounds and styles. The album is full of strong, electric beats – opening track “Body Shots” would fit perfectly into the early days of MTV, pulling off a great New Order sound. In “Steal Your Bones,” Electric Six does their best to recreate the power ballad: “And I will love you forever/ Though you surely won’t remember/ Everything I did to make you love me.”
Dick Valentine’s vocals are the the real glue holding Kill together. Valentine is the classic frontman – he has great range and offers a constant delivery over the changing styles of music Electric Six create on the album.
However, despite the range of genres Electric Six attempts to master, Kill still doesn’t resonate with excitement. Tracks like “My Idea of Fun” and “The Newark Airport Boogie” have strong beats and fun riffs, but they are evened out with songs such as “One Sick Puppy” or “Egyptian Cowboy,” which are distractions from the stronger aspects of the album. Tired and overdone metal riffs are played over creative lyrics or rhythms, and the good qualities found in Kill often times get lost.
With members with names such as The Colonel, Smorgasbord, and Tait Nucleus?, Electric Six is never lacking showmanship or fun, but possibly lost the ability to consistently write great and original songs.