The Filthiest Show In Town

"The Filthiest Show In Town" works on a level that goes beyond TKK's previous albums. On the surface, it revisits a lot of things they've done before (the horn riffs, the glittering hi-hats, the deep grooves); some people will undoubtedly complain that it's the same old same old.

But compare it to an early album like "Sexplosion!" and you see a lot of subtle differences. The songs on "Sexplosion!" were simpler and didn't have a lot under the surface, and for that reason they were more accessible. The production was kinetic, but compared to "Filthiest Show", it seems a little flat. "Filthiest Show" is like "Sexplosion!" in hi-def 3D surround sound Odorama. It oozes a lot of emotion, something "Sexplosion!" seemed intentionally devoid of, and the emotion is very dark indeed. Their previous releases had outlandish notions of sex, drugs, and Satanism, but it always seemed tongue-in-cheek. This time they're not kidding.

"Cadillac Square" seems like the kind of kitschy vision of streetwalkers that they've done before, but now there's a difference: the lyrics are aggressive and call out to the hookers "Where'd ya get that money? Hey what's your name?" It's got a cruel edge to it, because instead of identifying with the prostitutes, or simply being a bystander watching the spectacle of sex worker sleaze, the band now puts the listener in the role of the jaded john who's patronizing and even taunting the girls.

"High Class Taboo" is another high point on the album, with a noisy blues guitar riff over a beat that creaks like an old machine. Notice the sample that opens the track; a furious-sounding woman admits that she was a thief, but bristles at the idea that she ever hustled. "TV Sista" is pure frivolous Thrill Kill Kult club stuff, and it's great (think "TV" as in "transvestite"). "Me & Harlow" is jam packed with samples too, as more drag queens bicker with each other about who is more beautiful.

But the baddest jam on the album is "Sophisticated Living", a down-tempo number with a rock steady beat and a chorus where Groovie Mann turns a simple refrain of four words, "isolated, overrated sophisticated living", into a cynical snarl that he reads several different ways. The verses are an ambiguous vocoder that echoes early 80s funk groups, while a soulful "wooooo" chorus and violins complete the effect of disillusionment: what if someone did come along and take away your everyday cares, and it made you realize that nothing else mattered? This moment on the album is Thrill Kill Kult at the top of their game. Fans who think they don't channel rage and hate anymore just aren't looking for it.

Sonically, the album delivers on a level that's absolutely cinematic; there are details in the audio mix that you can lose yourself in. The basslines are sumptuous and warm and solid, and the rhythms surround you on all sides. Live-sounding snares on your left, electronic bass hits on your right. The tone is like that of a 70s soul soundtrack, sometimes blaxploitation grit, sometimes moody groove. MLWTTKK has done this before, only now the elements truly merge instead of being just dress-up fun for a dance track.

The characters on "The Filthiest Show In Town" are vague, but their circumstances are not. Many of the spoken word samples reflect people who try to love but can't. "Jet Set Sex" opens with a man pointing out that without sex and drugs, he has no real connection with his lovers. The album's closer, "CoverGirl Blues", features a melodramatic but creepy sample rant from a weeping woman who realizes that neither she nor her lover really knows how to love; the singer on the track is none other than Lois Blue, she of "The Doris Love Club", "Blue Moon", and several other classic TKK tracks.

Despair rules on "The Filthiest Show In Town", but for once you have to dig for it, and maybe it will go over the heads of some listeners that now instead of just satirizing horror movies and sexual excess, Thrill Kill Kult is taking off the mask and admitting that real life is scarier than Satan. At the heart of their new record is a frightening, weary truth: there is no magic. "Life is a game, baby...baby, that's just life."

It's been four years of waiting.....and the verdict? You decide yourself. It's "Sexplosion" meets "Hit and Run Holiday" with quite a bit of Motown funkiness thrown in for ambience. The cd plays likes a cross between a blaxploitation soundtrack & adult film score. The inside art and back art are obviously inspired from the 70's porn world.

"TV Sista" stands out for me as the top track of the album. The sexy psychedelic guitar kisses the tempting blue movie moans of Groovie Mann. It's nice to see TKK return to a more "theme oriented" cd that flows from track to another rather than being "all over the place" style wise.

Thrill Kill have walked this block before and it's nice to see them back out on the streets selling their sin.

Lets face it, there is absolutely NO ONE making music today that sounds even remotely close to the Thrill Kill Kult. The Filthiest Show in Town sounds like a soft core 60's B-movie with an extra helping of sleaze added for good measure. TKKs latest offering is the ultimate soundtrack for driving down the seedier areas in your neck of the woods, where neon lights & hookers welcome the lonely and lost to crash and burn under a groovy bass line and a spinning disco ball.

Although I personally miss their more aggressive take on music with songs from the past like The Days Of Swine & Roses, After the Flash, and Lucifers Flowers, the Filthiest Show in Town does pack a mean punch in terms of originality, groove, style, and subject matter. My only wish now is that we won't have to wait another four years for their next album!