Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen to the first edition of PAM'S FORK!! This is where I get to rant about new albums that I love (or on rare occasion..hate!!)

I like to consider myself your escape from all those snobby, pretentious music journalists who resist at all costs being impressed by, well, ANYTHING! Here, it's an open playing field: no pedestals, no grudges, just an honest-to-goodness opinion that you can freely agree with or challenge.

For my first pick, I would like to introduce you to the latest from one of my favorite bands....

THE KILLS - BLOOD PRESSURES

I’ll admit, after 2008′s Midnight Boom and back to back releases from The Dead Weather, I didn’t know WHAT to expect from The Kills’ new album. But after listening to Blood Pressures, it’s clear that Jamie and Alison are back and picking up right where they left off!

Each song carries an underlying “up-to-no-good” sensibility through booming bass lines, bellowing chants and clever lyrics, yet you still get that gritty swagger that we’ve come to know and love about The Kills.

Right off the bat they get things started right with “Futures Start Slow” and the single, “Satellite.” Heavy. Smoky. Haunting.

Jamie surprised me with a brief Beatles-esque soliloquy in “Wild Charms” which is then immediately answered with “DNA.”

Another pleasant surprise is the retro-feeling, ”Baby Says” which sounds like modern day doo-wop. Then you have the closer, ”Pots and Pans” which the only way I can think to describe it is as Norman Bates. An eerie tribal drum takes you through each of the verses which begin very charming and light, then two lines later take a suspicious chord change that makes you really listen to the lyrics being sung.

The front runner for my favorite is “The Last Goodbye”, a sombre yet optimistic ballad showcasing a classical piano piece. The chords are both theatrical and nostalgic. Mosshart sings “How can I rely on my heart if I break it with my own two hands?,” showing the band’s softer side. It has this “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” quality to it. However, there’s definitely no shortage of rock and roll throughout the 11 tracks and I HIGHLY recommend this album to anyone!!

Overall, I give this album a 8.7 out of 10!!!

One thing’s for sure, I sure am glad I already have my ticket to see the Kills play The Vic here in Chicago next month!!

Check out THE KILLS WEBSITE for more information like tour dates and how to secure your copy of Blood Pressures!!

Tastiest Tracks: “Future Starts Slow”, ”Satellite”, “The Last Goodbye”, “Pots and Pans”. “Baby Says”, “Nail in My Coffin”