Unearthed: Kisses

​Kisses will make you sob while dancing and dreaming. They characterize themselves as thrash, but one listen of their late 2010 release The Heart of the Nightlife makes us question what kind of thrash music the duo listens to. They're much more reminiscent of something synth-pop or straight indie.

The Heart of the Nightlife really started getting attention in late January/early February of this year. The release wasn't publicized as well as it should have been and was focused primarily on the L.A. area. Although L.A. has one of the best independent music markets, one can't help but be pissed off that the rest of the world didn't catch wind of their glorious fart until much later. Consider this your notice.

The lead singer, Jesse Kivel (pictured right), sounds oddly reminiscent of Swedish dream vocalist Jens Lekman. It's quite uncanny actually; I had to search to see if Lekman had released material under a new moniker... nope! Regardless, Kivel's voice is intimate and soothing, yet bizarrely haunting. He exploits his unique vocal chords in this love album to tell a glorious story. Most of the tracks are about his better half and second member of the band, Zinzi Edmundson, but overall the album tells a tale of love lost, incurable longing, and hopeful seeking for a replacement which never actually materializes. These characteristics are encapsulated between the lyrics in the opening track, "so keep your heart strong / and love long / and give kisses when you can," and those in the closing track, "and I roam the bus / just to be with you / I roam the city tram / just to be near you." The middle tracks guide you on the journey to that bitter end. Sad. We know. But this album has a plethora of shining moments. Definitely give it a listen.

Grab The Heart of the Nightlife now on iTunes