Kill Hannah : Until There is Nothing Left of Us

The Chicago Sun-Times gave Kill Hannah the honor of being “the cutest band in Chicago.” To fully understand this statement one must only take a look at their press photos: the band is fully dolled up with make up to appear like the New York Dolls and Motley Crue in their heyday, only far more tame than the aforementioned. Distinguishing them from past glam-rock groups is that Kill Hannah have more cinematic structures and thicker layering of instrumental parts that give their songs a widescreen quality. Also distinguishable about Kill Hannah are the androgynous vocals of singer Mat Devine, which display an uncanny resemblance to ’70s singer/songwriter Nick Gilder (“Hot Child In The City”).

Kill Hannah exhibits Pink Floyd levels of largesse in their sonic atmospheres of electro-rock planes and platforms of glittering glam-rock. The band features an adrenaline-loaded combination of huge sonic vibrations by guitarists Dan Wiese and Jonathan Radtke and simmering grooves by drummer Garrett Hammond and bassist Greg Corner, paired with lyrics meant to narrate anthems for boys and girls to share. Imagine a cross between The Cure and Evanescence and you’ll get some idea of what Until There Is Nothing Left Of Us is all about.

The production work is expansive and the guitar effects and electronic embellishments are radiant. The prog rock leanings on “Believer” have a new wave-tinged artistry. “Lips Like Morphine” exudes a polished, sleek ambience with a vocal platform that floats above the pauses and ascents in the movements. The effeminate vocals of Devine propound the songs with a deeper finesse, and the songs are more artsy than emo-driven, and the portly sequences are deluged in intricate patterns and distinct subtleties that give the songs uniqueness and individual sonic expressions.

“Love You To Death” alights striking vibrations with a new wave influence, producing huge landscapes of fluttering sonics moored by elliptical keyboard harmonies. “Crazy Angel” highlights a Britpop influence rife with flushes of electronics, beaming rows of guitar, and tremors of ambling grooves. The song twinkles like a choir of flashing stars. Speaking of which, the band’s cover of The Church’s “Under The Milky Way” regales a session of acoustic guitar strums with electronic sequences and flickering guitar lines. “Scream” is a feast of soft rumbling drums and melodic rock bends with a delicate keyboard tier and a ruffling string arrangement.

Gone is the Garbage-influenced garage rock mechanism of Kill Hannah’s previous album For Never And Ever, and in its place is huge vibrating atmosphere and heavy layers of sound. But still evident is Kill Hannah’s impetuous nature, thus proving it is the same band all along.

Similar Albums:
Editors – The Back Room
Evanescence – Fallen
Pink Floyd – The Wall

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