We first reviewed The Lounge Kittens last year with their EP Just the Tip and even then we admired their unique take on music. Now the girls are back with their first full album Sequins & C-Bombs. There’s no easy way to describe the kind of music TLK perform: are they just a cover band? No! Take what you know about cover music and throw it away. Imagine any track you’ve ever heard, then strip it back to a piano and add the vocals of a 50s pin up choir of three. Do that properly and you have The Lounge Kittens.
We did have an idea of what to expect with this album: the band have been releasing snippets on their Pledge page (more on that below) and of course we were big fans of their EP. Needless to say, we were not let down!
We start off with Alice Cooper’s Poison: we sat there with a stupid grin on our faces when we heard it for the first time. TLK are back and they’d certainly not lost any of their charm. All three girls provide vocals, but we start off with Timia Gwendoline and her sultry, mellow voice; a complete contrast to her amazing blue mowhawk haircut and a perfect track to ease a new listener into the band.
Next is System of Down’s track Bounce, an annoying song at the best of the times, but despite that the girls give it a good go and if annoying is what they’re going for (which we wouldn’t put past them) they’ve done a great job. Hearing ‘pogo pogo pogo’ in an English accent over and over again is certainly different, but no less annoying!
It’s not until we get to the third track Yeah by Usher that we realise the complete lack of bass in any track preceding or following. The Lounge Kittens pretty much eliminate it from the entire album, and thanks to Jenny Deacon on the piano, we hardly notice and it’s a complete breath of fresh air. They also have us in stitches when they start to have a conversation mid-song about how everyone prefers a lady on the street but a freak in the bed…I mean who doesn’t right?
Our standout track is Toto’s Africa: the track lets us experience the full range of vocals from Gwendoline, Deacon and Zan Lawther and we realise how much of an influence the ‘Doo-Wop’ genre has been on the band. The song has a harmony to it, even more so due to the lack of instruments. Hearing Deacon yelling “Africa” near the end of the track gave us goose bumps (no wonder she’s a rock choir leader) and this is definitely the most mature track on the album; watch the song on YouTube if you’re not convinced.
Everyone’s favourite angry song Bodies by Drowning Pool also features on the record. The introduction starts similarly to the original with the whispering, but instead of the heavy thrash metal screaming we get the Kittens and a piano. Listening to the track, it almost makes the thought of bodies hitting the floor seem like a pleasant experience.
With 15 tracks, there is no shortage of music and we’re confident that almost everyone has heard at least one of the tracks in its original form, be it The Cave by Mumford & Sons or The Beautiful People by Marilyn Manson.
The album has been funded through PledgeMusic: a kind of Kickstarter for music, and as of 3 days before the album release the trio exceeded their target my more than double – a testament to the appeal of their music. And yes we did pledge! With only one EP and album under their belts the journey TLK have gone on is pretty remarkable: they’ve opened for Limp Bizkit at Sonisphere; supported Steel Panther on a UK tour; and this coming December will be supporting the legendary Status Quo. These sorts of accolades don’t happen by mistake and to have Francis Rossi of Status Quo describe some of their music as “better than wanking” is an honour we’d all be proud of…more or less.
In an age where pop stars are pumped out like they’re on a conveyor belt, The Lounge Kittens bring something fresh to a party that has been going stale for a long time. There is a spunk to their musical style: it’s something we haven’t heard in music for a long time, in fact the last time was probably their EP! TLK have done it the hard way, with no massive recording contract or oodles of publicity and if for nothing more than that, give them a listen – you won’t regret it.
9/10
Standout Tracks: Africa
For Fans Of: Steel Panther, Doo-Wop, cover music
Written by: Omar Malick
