- A Godspeed You Black Emperor! song under seven minutes in length9. The advent of coprophilic pirate metal8. An indie rock Gentle Giant tribute7. Nude gymnasts (don't you think it's about time they lived up to the name?)6. An Anal Cunt song over 1\xBD minutes in length5. Bachmed, the Farsi-turned-Rastafarian baroque sitar player4. Universal health care3. Peace in the Middle East2. An end to world hunger1. Mansun releasing a pop/R&B; album
After all, Mansun went from brooding glam-ish guitar rock on their 1997 debut, Attack of the Grey Lantern, to all-out prog song structures and abstrusities on the astonishing follow-up, Six. They haven't exactly been pointing the way to Little Kix. This isn't a 180. This isn't even a 90. This is almost shifting onto another plane of music. But that's not to say the shift is dramatic enough for comparisons to become meaningless. The band has expressed a taste for the Bee Gees, ABBA, and mid-'80s Prince, and this record is probably the result of such affinities.
All the same, not much of Little Kix could be classified as filler, even if two tracks-- "Fool" and "Goodbye"-- exhibit a slight dip in quality from the surrounding material. The band seems to be painting with muted colors, though, especially in contrast to the manic off-kilterness of Six. Perhaps this has something to do with the seeming disinterest of the band members backing frontman Paul Draper. Little Kix could, at times, be mistaken for a Draper solo album for all the effort the other guys appear to be investing. Guitarist Dominic Chad contributes some nice lead touches occasionally, but bassist Stove King and drummer Andie Rathbone seem content with just laying down a nice pocket.
The album's largest detractor lies with its lyrics. The complete lack of irony prevents it from reaching its potential as a genuinely satisfying production. Sure, honesty and directness are nice and all, but with no bite, lines like, "We are the boys, think about nothing and/ We are the boys, boys have got feelings, too," fall flatter than the late Bill Hicks at this year's Republican National Convention. Everything is so amazingly darling and clichéd. Even the chorus of "Soundtrack 4 2 Lovers," a fine ballad by any measure, could've been culled from the new age compilation, Pure Moods.
If you're a real wonk for deep, original sentiments, Little Kix will probably wear like steel underwear. But as a collection of love-themed songs, the record has a lot to offer for listening in the car, boudoir, or singing in the shower.
