April 7th, 2008
Louis XIV 
The Best Little Secrets Are Kept
The creative Jason Hill and Brian Karscig teamed up with two others in 2003 to form Louis XIV, one of today’s leading groups in the rock/throw-back genre.
After great success with their sexed-up lyrics and crazed “glam” attitude in their debut full-length The Best Little Secrets Are Kept, featuring hit single “Finding Out True Love Is Blind,” the group toured extensively for several years. The group’s lyrics even led to their being banned in Alabama.
Louis XIV’s latest release, Slick Dogs and Ponies (Atlantic Records), is substantially more somber, cynical toward the world and menacing than previous works. Hill and Karscig become increasingly in-sync with their writing.
The undertone of something slightly evil and eerie sits on the tip of the tongue with this record, leaving the punchy-playfulness of the previous record behind.
Songs like “Tina” and “Stalker” leave listeners feeling used, abused and dirty. This is something not found on Secrets. Vocal choruses push the thuggish-brash guitars to the background, and leave room for their overtly hedonistic lyrics. The record as a whole is very consistent in its sound.
As a second release for the group, it makes fans really look forward to whatever bizarre avenues they will stroll down next. Louis XIV’s Slick Dogs and Ponies gets four out of five stars.