Track By Track: Kill Casino - I’ve Been To London
Karen Luan (vocals / bass) talks us through what's on the band's debut album, to be released on September 10th through Cargo, 'I've Been To London To See The Queen'.
Karen Luan (vocals / bass) talks us through what's on the band's debut album, to be released on September 10th through Cargo, 'I've Been To London To See The Queen'. All the tracks have been co-written by Karen and the band's guitarist, Chris.
1. 'Pool'
We wanted the album to have some sense of shape, with a definite beginning and end. It's quite an abstract intro to the album but I think it works really well.
2. 'Best Served Cold'
Most people will know that this title references the saying, 'revenge is a dish best served cold'. It's a pretty militant statement and was written at quite a dark point in the band's history but I think ultimately it's defiant not defeatist in tone.
3. 'Stolen Eyes'
This was our first single, which was in some ways an odd choice because it's more delicate and reflective than most of the tracks on the record. When we came to shoot the video, we sat down with the director and talked through a hundred and one crazy ideas, including me opening a box of offal, but in the end it seemed fitting to keep it a clean and simple performance piece!
4. 'Underwater'
This was a really old song of ours that we re-worked for the record. It's about the idea of home. When you live somewhere as vast and anonymous as London, you do tend dwell on what constitutes a home and what's just an abode.
5. 'Headache'
I love playing this song live as it's just balls out rock and roll, we tried to capture a little bit of that fresh, live feel on record by not over-working it.
6. 'Hidden Away'
Another high energy number. We're more aggressive live than on record, there's inevitably some crazy stage moves and more than a few bruises in the morning!
7. 'Nights'
This is a love song!
8. 'Some People'
For a brief period I was living on my own in the tiniest box room, it was really dank and suffocating. I had ants, mice, water leaking down the walls, you name it. Eventually I got the hell out. I'm not sure how people can live on their own, it's so claustrophobic.
9. 'School Song'
The subject of the outsider is so popular in music, it's almost a cliche and I suppose this is our own spin on it, hence the generic title.
10. 'Death Bed'
This is a song about someone I knew.
11. 'My Pleasure'
This song was written with someone very specific in mind, someone that really went out of their way to make me feel like shit. As is so often the case when people victimise others, it was ultimately all their own insecurities and nothing to do with me. I'm sure one day our paths will cross again and I'm looking forward to it.
12. 'Pirate Waltz'
We called the album 'Ive Been To London To See The Queen' because none of us are native Londoners, we're all essentially aliens to the city. This little end track is probably the most direct reference to living in the city but in fact nearly all of the songs on the record relate to the extreme highs and low of living in the metropolis. "Pussycat Pussycat where have you been, Ive been to London to see the Queen."
Tracks from the album are available to listen to on the band's MySpace.
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