Kits - Lead Us Into Temptation

  by Andrew Carver

published: 25 / 5 / 2011

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Review

Australia’s the Kits start ‘Lead Us Into Temptation’ with a ferocious buzz and a heavy beat. Like many an Aussie band before them, they’re deeply in lovely with American rock’n’roll, particularly the sounds of Detroit (they even have a tune called ‘Detroit Feeling’ to remove any doubt). Even though the Melbourne trio has decamped to England to ply their fortune, they’re staying true to the gospel of ramshackle rock’n’roll. They jangle things up a bit for ‘Wild At Heart’, a tune more chorus than verse, then kick things up with a plucky rockabilly sound for ‘Salvation’. Rock’n’roll preachers have been singing about salvation since the days of Alex Harvey, if not before, though singer Kit Atkinson sells it better than some; he also manages an ear-pleasing youthful bleat on the title track, backed by a fuzzy lope courtesy of second guitarist Marc Bonet. The band also has a sturdy collection of riffs to build their songs around, with the occasional burst of guitar frenzy to remind the ears of late great Oz guitarman Rowland S. Howard. The band also trades in souped up surf on songs such as ‘Modern Love’, which also owes a bit - possibly not by coincidence - to the Modern Lovers. The album bounds out on ‘Ain’t No Wolf’ - not the album’s strongest point, but a decent slow-burning track that doesn’t quite muster enough climactic force. Still ‘Lead Us Into Temptation’ is a half-hour well spent for fans of fuzzed up garage rock and bands like BBQ, the Black Lips, the Dirtys, the Reigning Sound, as well as earlier combos like the Nils, Dogmatics and Twin/Tone-era Replacements.

Track Listing:-

1 Open Season
2 Wild At Heart
3 Salvation
4 Subpop
5 Lead Us Into Temptation
6 Detroit Feeling
7 Modern Love
8 Girl, You've Got No Remorse
9 Count On Me
10 Ain't No Wolf