Kill Radio
“Raised on Whipped Cream”
(Columbia)
As bold as it is, Kill Radio is among the few who have been able to embrace this new breed of punk rockers. To put it another way, they not only embrace it, but capture the new wave on “Raised on Whipped Cream” in a way that makes us wish we all had been…well, raised on whipped cream. Basically, imagine taking whipped cream canisters and instead of putting it on strawberry shortcake, doing whippets (or insert other “crazy” mind-altering substance here) with the cans and then writing a record. After being landed by Columbia, KR has created a release that blends newness to the punk approach while not forgetting the steps that have brought them to this point. Lyrically, singer Brandon Jordan dances around the typical punk pleasantries and treats them anew instead of stagnantly tackling them head-on. Punk-inspired rhythms make their presence felt alongside the occasional reggae stylings which bring out the bass-heavy theme of the album. Hot guitar licks chime in and out, melting perfectly into the backbone of the tracks one by one. The standout track, “Do You Know (Knife In Your Back),” unleashes a sonic assault of one part wrenching, one part singing, one part screaming vocals all in a blender with whining leads and a chord progression that commands tears to your eyes and kings to their knees. The bottom line is this: Kill Radio is bringing a new revolution.
