Kansas' fabulous pop-prodigies the Billions were, believe it or not, recorded by Kerry Livgren for their new LP, Quiet as it's Kept, a disc demanding heavy rotation. Their gentile but firm and melancholy demeanor, and elemental song writing approach, hearkens Weezer, Built to Spill, and Death Cab for Cutie at first, but manages to transcend mere scenester fodder by tapping into a historic vein — drawing out the blood of Dylan, the Beatles, Pink Floyd, and the Police / Sting. Informed, studied pop, if you will. "Picture of You," a song about hating women for screwing with / breaking our hearts all the time, hits like a brick and is elevated with a hooky, rich chorus and a fireside sing-a-long. Outstanding. "He Advances" is hazy and dreary, retelling the story of the Crucifixion through the blood shot eyes of a spent and weary disciple still riddled with grief and lament. "The Boulevard" is a small town angst song with a strikingly nervous electric guitar tone. Once in a while, new bands with a buzz live up to it.
Other coverage for this album
Opus 2001Reviewed by Jason MoreheadI wonder how sick of this CD my coworkers got, because I honestly don't know how many times I played it one week. It always seemed to be on the top of the stack of CDs on my desk. When I reached for a new CD to listen to while working on MySQL databases and PHP code, Quiet as It's Kept always seemed to be the first choice. Of course, I sometimes wonder if my officemates just tune out whatever I…
