Kill Tunes is the second album by the American indie rock band Leaving Trains.[2][3] It was released in 1986 via SST Records. The band supported the album with a North American tour.[4]
| Kill Tunes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1986 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock | |||
| Label | SST[1] | |||
| Leaving Trains chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production
edit"Private Affair" is a cover of a song by the Saints.[5] Kill Tunes is the last album on which the Hofer brothers played.[2] "10 Generations" addresses themes of authenticity and selling out.[6]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Robert Christgau | B+[7] |
| Lincoln Journal Star |  [8] |
| The Philadelphia Inquirer | [9] |
| Record-Journal | B[6] |
| Reno Gazette-Journal | [10] |
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."[11] 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."[12] The Reno Gazette-Journal determined that "the guitar attack is reminiscent of the Clash in their heyday."[10]
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.[13][14] The Providence Journal opined that "Kill Tunes does smack of revival, but not of stale rehash."[15]
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."[5] Spin listed the album as one of the 80 "excellent" underground rock albums of the 1980s.[16]
Track listing
edit| 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
edit- ^ Thompson, Dave (August 29, 2000). Alternative Rock. Hal Leonard Corporation.
- ^ a b "The Leaving Trains Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ^ Cogan, Brian (2006). Encyclopedia of Punk Music and Culture. Greenwood Press. p. 110.
- ^ "L.A. Dee Da". LA Weekly. 15 May 1986. p. 43.
- ^ a b c "Kill Tunes". AllMusic.
- ^ a b Zebora, Jim (24 Aug 1986). "Off the Record". Record-Journal. p. E2.
- ^ "The Leaving Trains". Robert Christgau.
- ^ Wolgamott, L. Kent (22 Jul 1986). "Records". Lifestyle. Lincoln Journal Star. p. 5.
- ^ Tucker, Ken (20 July 1986). "Leaving Trains Kill Tunes". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. H7.
- ^ a b McClary, Eric (19 Oct 1986). "Rock". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 8E.
- ^ "Leaving Trains". Trouser Press. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- ^ de la Vina, Mark (31 Aug 1986). "Trains Roll". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 63.
- ^ Palmer, Robert (15 Aug 1986). "Pop and Jazz Guide". The New York Times. p. C19.
- ^ Palmer, Robert (7 Jan 1987). "Peter Case Heads a List of the Top Albums of 1986". The New York Times. p. C20.
- ^ Boehm, Mike (January 25, 1987). "Rock: Has every stone been turned?". The Providence Journal. p. H3.
- ^ "Underground". Spin. SPIN Media LLC. January 29, 1990.