Midnight Boom (2008)

IN FOR THE KILLS The duo's Midnight Boom remains comfortably rough around the edges

In 2003, this transatlantic duo (Alison ''VV'' Mosshart is American; Jamie ''Hotel'' Hince, a Brit) came roaring out of the garage, all gear grease, cigarettes, and snarls. Five years on, their octane-edged atmosphere remains: The dozen blues-rock dirges on the Kills' Midnight Boom build hypnotically from the raw elements of stripped-down percussion, sludgy guitar riffs, and singing-through-a-dirty-gym-sock vocals. And while the band's deliberate nihilism can come off as a little overdone, Boom's nicotine sting — and the pair's push-me-pull-you chemistry — is still ridiculously sexy. B+
DOWNLOAD THIS: See the video for the Kills' ''U.R.A. Fever'' below