“Hello Hong Kong”, The Kicks
“Hello Hong Kong”, The Kicks, TVT Records, 2004
The Kicks are a “vowel” band (like the Vines, the Hives, etc.), who seem aimed toward MTV airplay. The songs aren’t really bad--a combination of garage/punk/rock/pop. For four guys (two guitars, bass, and drums), they put out a pretty full wall of sound, helped by solid production.
There are not many solos, but guitarist Jesse Palmer and vocalist/guitarist Scott Cook combine their riffs well enough to fill in, while Josh Faulkner on bass and Jaren Johnson support the relentless four four beats well enough.
The CD sleeve shows that these guys are primed for stardom, with their matching uniforms of black tops and blue jeans (on the CD cover, anyway), full cover pictures of each in the booklet (to show that they are cute young guys) and groovy colors and hip printing for the lyrics. One of the cuts is entitled “Popstar Radio Crown,” which I think tells you something.
This is the disturbing thing about the group. There are some good songs here, anchored by Cook’s frenetic vocals, like “12 Steps,” and the bouncy “Mir.” All twelve cuts are designed to be radio friendly, though, which give a certain sameness to the sound. And having everything sound similar is a danger anyway with the archetypical two guitars, bass, and drums lineup (with an uncredited keyboard on at least one cut).
The lyrics cover the usual mall angst with a few quirky exceptions. “The Exorcist” includes “I don’t want to listen to your ass tonight” and “Jet” opens with “I want to screw you but no one’s here.”
“Hello Hong Kong” is not a hard CD to listen to, although it may not hold your attention throughout. There are a few touches that show that the Kicks have something to offer, and could get a popstar radio crown if they can develop their own sound and not fade into the wasteland of mainstream radio.
--Dave Howell
(This article first appeared in the FMSound music site.)
The Kicks are a “vowel” band (like the Vines, the Hives, etc.), who seem aimed toward MTV airplay. The songs aren’t really bad--a combination of garage/punk/rock/pop. For four guys (two guitars, bass, and drums), they put out a pretty full wall of sound, helped by solid production.
There are not many solos, but guitarist Jesse Palmer and vocalist/guitarist Scott Cook combine their riffs well enough to fill in, while Josh Faulkner on bass and Jaren Johnson support the relentless four four beats well enough.
The CD sleeve shows that these guys are primed for stardom, with their matching uniforms of black tops and blue jeans (on the CD cover, anyway), full cover pictures of each in the booklet (to show that they are cute young guys) and groovy colors and hip printing for the lyrics. One of the cuts is entitled “Popstar Radio Crown,” which I think tells you something.
This is the disturbing thing about the group. There are some good songs here, anchored by Cook’s frenetic vocals, like “12 Steps,” and the bouncy “Mir.” All twelve cuts are designed to be radio friendly, though, which give a certain sameness to the sound. And having everything sound similar is a danger anyway with the archetypical two guitars, bass, and drums lineup (with an uncredited keyboard on at least one cut).
The lyrics cover the usual mall angst with a few quirky exceptions. “The Exorcist” includes “I don’t want to listen to your ass tonight” and “Jet” opens with “I want to screw you but no one’s here.”
“Hello Hong Kong” is not a hard CD to listen to, although it may not hold your attention throughout. There are a few touches that show that the Kicks have something to offer, and could get a popstar radio crown if they can develop their own sound and not fade into the wasteland of mainstream radio.
--Dave Howell
(This article first appeared in the FMSound music site.)