Kill Hannah, Until There’s Nothing Left Of Us

This Chicago band’s 2003 release, For Never and Ever, was arguably the guilty pleasure album of the year. Kill Hannah’s not a band you’re going to brag about liking, and it’s doubtful that given the chance, you’d bother to check them out live — unless, of course, you’re into being in a roomful of underage goth wannabes. Kill Hannah are a pretty band (I’m secure enough in my masculinity to admit that they’re good-looking guys), and it understandably works both for and against them. Thankfully, they write undeniably poppy songs that are strong enough and catchy enough to make you forget about the trendy haircuts, glammed-out makeup, and wristbands.

“Lips Like Morphine,” the first single from Until There’s Nothing Left Of Us, is a perfect example of the band’s ability to draw a thin line between goth and electro-pop (sample lyric: “I want a girl with lips like morphine / Who knocks me out every time she touches me”). Similarly, “Intro” and “Believer” both start off the album impressively and showcase the band’s blend of guitars and synthpop well. Confusingly, “Black Poison Blood” cribs a riff from fellow Chicagoans Caviar, while “Love You To Death” is a pop-punk attempt at pleasing the suburban goth contingent (death’s gotta be in there somewhere, right?). What’s even more confusing about Until There’s Nothing Left Of Us, however, is the band’s weak attempt at covering The Church’s beautiful “Under The Milky Way.” It’s so watered-down and lifeless that it simply proves the song in no way ever needs to be covered. (Note, by the way, that the band also covered Billy Idol’s ’80s anthem “Rebel Yell” on the “Lips Like Morphine” single.)

Unlike their last album, Until There’s Nothing Left Of Us gives the impression that the band was trying too hard to write a hit this time out (the pressure from Atlantic was surely great). There are some catchy songs, but it all seems formulaic after a while. Not to discount Kill Hannah’s talent — they can write good songs — but it’s hard to get excited about the album when every song practically bleeds into the other without much distinction.