Boy Kill Boy - Civilian
By
03 June, 2006 07:39
This article has been read 2573 times.
Font size:
It seems to be the case with the record industry today that bands are being marketed too much too soon, without being given more time to develop and write new material. Boy Kill Boy, even though they’re good, seem to have become the next victim. Hailing from South East London, this band of four, Chris Peck (vocals/guitar), Shaz (drums), Pete Carr (keyboards), and Kevin Chase (bass/vocals) have recently released their debut album ’Civilian’ on the 22nd May.
Their current single ‘Suzie’ is a re-issue of their debut seven inch ‘ released prior to this debut. Being radio-friendly releases, this helps slot them into top spots in the charts. Critics have shown to be sceptical, commenting on the fact that no band could go wrong when marketed in such manner. Major radio airplay, outstanding reviews from mainstream music magazines, support slots with upcoming popular bands, a sure-fire guarantee they will make it big. Are they good enough to maintain it though?
But then again, how many debut albums have become instant classics? Ok, I could name a few, but just a few. And to be totally honest, there are too many British bands trying to make it big, with the same Indie-rock output, and they’re all beginning to sound the same. Boy Kill Boy are being labelled the British ‘Killers’. Don’t particularly agree. This is my point, it is easy to compare many of these emerging new bands to one another simply because they try to maintain the new popular ’in-demand’ sound.
This album sounds like the new wave of 80’s synths and electro-pop merged with the current Indie/Brit-pop fix. They are said to be influenced by bands such as Faith No More, The Cure and Depeche Mode, and a particular track seems to have a slight ‘Nik Kershaw’ tinge. Surprisingly enough, I am not alone on this opinion. Funny because I thought I had totally forgotten about Kershaw, until I heard the track ‘Showdown’.
Scary thought, to have the 80’s Kershaw sound re-born. (No offence but…) Some tracks, especially the opening ‘Back Again’ have a slight raw The Strokes element and you can sense a teeny bit of Simple Minds-esque throughout the album. Their hidden track reminds me somewhat of Idlewild, which makes me like it even more, possibly the best track on their album so far.
Despite all of the above, I believe they have potential to produce a great 2nd album, they just need to be given time to develop properly.
Apparently they are a brilliant live act, so maybe it’s worth watching them live before investing in the album. They have taken part in Ibiza Rocks UK Tour and topped the NME Charts early last week.
Not bad.
RRR
Email to a friend
Print version
Plain text