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Kill the Lights

Who? Montreal quintet Kill the Lights — Alexander Hackett (guitar/vocals), Stephanie Hanna (vocals/keyboards), Joseph Yarmush (guitar/ keyboards), Johnston Dignard (bass), and Yann Geoffroy (drums) — formed in Toronto in 2005 after Hackett and Geoffroy made a move from Montreal to the Ontario metropolis out of boredom. The eventual result of their efforts, the debut LP Buffalo of Love, is out now via Toronto’s Maple Music imprint.

What’s the Deal? Kill the Lights mix up danceable ’80s infused post punk along the lines of fellow Joy Division followers Editors and Interpol, only these members of the new school add in Hanna’s soulful female vocals for a kick of spice and flavor. Far more experimental than most of their peers, Kill the Lights excel at long shoegaze walks as well as short electro-pop dance numbers. The seven-plus minute epic “Palest Form of Sabotage” showcases the bands most beautiful form of cacophony, a building slow burner every bit as charming as it is tantalizing, while album opener “2 Sinister Gentlemen” gets hearts beating and toes tapping.

Fun Fact: Kill the Lights frontman Alexander Hackett’s car was stolen right in front of his bandmates’ eyes after a gig at Toronto’s El Mocambo venue last year. On top of having cars stolen, KTL has also come very close to breaking up as a band by hitting a moose in northern Quebec. The car and the moose didn’t survive, but thank goodness Kill the Lights did.�

Now Hear This:Kill the Lights – “2 Sinister Gentlemen” DOWNLOAD MP3

Now Watch This:Kill the Lights – “Artic at Dawn” VIEW

On the Web:Kill the Lights at MySpace killthelights.ca

Talk: Would you party all night to Kill the Lights?

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