Kill Your Darlings

More than ever, Kill Your Darlings reveals Loco's love of Serge Gainsbourg and the Velvet Underground, with listless vocals supplied by Departure Lounge's Tim Keegan and Quinn's Louis Quinn. Darlings is a sexy, black-and-blue pop record ready-made for surreal video action (or perhaps an Acura ad). It's also a drowsy dreamland for chilled intent.

Strummed acoustic guitar fills the Velvets-like reminiscing of "Cocaine Diana," followed by the Stones-ish swell of "Lucy's Talking," which is offset by blasts of tuba and trumpet. Spooky Gregorian chants intro the album's first truly trip-hop track, "Horsepower in Vain," which uses sitar and groaning brass to create an ominous night vision. The respite comes with the lilting Cubano strut of "Gypsie Good Time," the bittersweet "I Can't Let It Happen to You," and the bolting big beats of "Going 'Round in Circles." Merging despondent vocals with fleshy trip-hop, Kill Your Darlings attempts avant punk/trip-hop assimilation. Kudos for experimentation. --Ken Micallef