Given that Miles Kane’s latest album, Change the Show, dropped this past Friday, I figured now was as good a time as any to get caught up on his previous works. Thus, I listened to the colorful Coup De Grace.
Straight off the bat I can tell you it’s his best effort (so far)! I really found myself enjoying this one a little more than the previous two. Not that I thought the style changed all that drastically, but it seemed to have more of a club vibe, as in, I could see myself dancing to a lot of these tracks. Title track and opening number “Too Little Too Late” both imbued this dance-like quality with a quick tempo and strong bass lines. With that being said, if I hadn’t known the album title or the name of the song, I could swear he was singing “cootie graw,” but that’s on me. Both really fun songs to listen to and I thought a great way to suck you into the rest of the album.
Other songs off the album that really caught my ear (see what I did there?) were “Cold Light of the Day,” which I liked for how short and sweet it was while still leaving a lasting impact. It probably also helped that the keys present in this song reminded me a lot of the The Animals’ hit song “House of the Rising Sun.” Another fast-paced tune was “Silverscreen” that sort of made me feel like I should be running. Especially if you combine that with the lyrics – it felt a bit like paranoia, but it made for an awesome and ultimately fun song. “Something to Rely On” also stuck with me because again, somehow Kane’s vocals remind me of The Pink Spiders at times, and I freaking love that band.
Nothing on this album fell into the bad category, but with that being said, let’s talk about “Wrong Side of Life.” I cannot even begin to imagine that he enjoys performing this song live, if he even does at all. The vocals are unique, but it sounds like it might be painful to reach those notes. Otherwise, the rest of the album had some notable influences, like “Cry on My Guitar” definitely reminded me a little bit of Muse, which is a cool get. “Killing the Joke” also threw me back to The Last Shadow Puppets, which given that Kane is half the band, makes sense. “Loaded” was perhaps the most cohesive song Kane has ever made because it contains that signature guitar riff that I’ve heard present on so many things he’s done over the course of his career, solo or not.
Overall, this was a fun record and my favorite of Miles Kane’s solo work, so far. I’m glad the release of his new album lit the fire under me to listen to this because I think it’s important to get an understanding of his musical trajectory before launching into the new stuff. Especially since five years and a pandemic have passed in between. Keep an eye out for my review of Change the Show soon!