Kill Tunes
Kill Tunes is the second album by the American indie rock band Leaving Trains.[2][3] It was released in 1986 via SST Records.
| Kill Tunes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1986 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock | |||
| Label | SST Records[1] | |||
| Leaving Trains chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production
"Private Affair" is a cover of the Saints' song.[4] Kill Tunes is the last album on which the Hofer brothers played.[2]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Robert Christgau | B+[5] |
| The Philadelphia Inquirer | |
Trouser Press wrote that frontman Falling James Moreland "displays his boozehound-next-door humor for the first time on “A Drunker Version of You,” and it provides a welcome respite from the vitriol sprayed elsewhere."[7] The Los Angeles Times thought that "it's one narrow line between convoluted and eclectic, and Leaving Trains walks it, bends it and ties it into knots."[8]
Robert Palmer, in The New York Times, declared: "The album title is apt; Mr. Moreland writes the songs, then the band assaults them with well-placed jabs, hard riffing, chaotically celebratory vocals and sheer energy"; Palmer later listed Kill Tunes as the third best album of 1986.[9][10] The Providence Journal opined that "Kill Tunes does smack of revival, but not of stale rehash."[11]
AllMusic wrote that "the album mixes soft ballads, high-octane rave-ups, and furious rock played with endearing jangle, roaring bar chords, and catchy pop hooks."[4] Spin listed the album as one of the 80 "excellent" underground rock albums of the 1980s.[12]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Light Rain" | 2:26 |
| 2. | "She's Looking at You" | 2:32 |
| 3. | "Private Affair" | 2:04 |
| 4. | "Cigarette Motel" | 1:22 |
| 5. | "10 Generations" | 3:39 |
| 6. | "Kinette" | 3:29 |
| 7. | "A Drunker Version of You" | 2:29 |
| 8. | "Black" | 1:54 |
| 9. | "Falling" | 2:11 |
| 10. | "Vicki" | 2:02 |
| 11. | "Terminal Island" | 2:22 |
| 12. | "Warning Track" | 2:26 |
References
- Thompson, Dave (August 29, 2000). "Alternative Rock". Hal Leonard Corporation – via Google Books.
- "The Leaving Trains | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- Cogan, Brian (2006). Encyclopedia of Punk Music and Culture. Greenwood Press. p. 110.
- "Kill Tunes - The Leaving Trains | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- "Robert Christgau: CG: The Leaving Trains". www.robertchristgau.com.
- Tucker, Ken (20 July 1986). "LEAVING TRAINS Kill Tunes". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. H7.
- "Leaving Trains". Trouser Press. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- de la Vina, Mark (31 Aug 1986). "TRAINS ROLL". Los Angeles Times. Calendar. p. 63.
- Palmer, Robert (15 Aug 1986). "POP AND JAZZ GUIDE". The New York Times. p. C19.
- Palmer, Robert (7 Jan 1987). "THE POP LIFE; PETER CASE HEADS A LIST OF THE TOP ALBUMS OF 1986". The New York Times. p. C20.
- Boehm, Mike (January 25, 1987). "MUSIC Rock: Has every stone been turned?". The Providence Journal. p. H3.
- "Underground". SPIN. SPIN Media LLC. January 29, 1990 – via Google Books.