Kill Hannah

Wake Up The Sleepers

[3/5]

Chicago’s Kill Hannah could easily be summed up and dismissed as a watered-down, middle-American blend of Placebo, Garbage and Republica: They’ve got the buzzy guitars, fey vocals and hooks (which don’t bite as deeply as they should); plus their willingness to dance (or ability to inspire others to do so) from time to time. But that would be cynical and unfair, ignoring how purely pleasurable Wake Up The Sleepers’ best moments are. “New York City Speed” will make Shiny Toy Guns fans very happy, while “Radio” blatantly hijacks its verse melody from ’80s footnote Kim Wilde’s “Kids In America.” Ultimately, Wake Up The Sleepers shifts moods too frequently for its own good, but many of the 13 songs are worthwhile on their own terms, if not as part of a coherent whole. Recommended, albeit in small doses. (ORIGINAL SIGNAL) Phil Freeman



GO DOWNLOAD: “New York City Speed”