No, not all good indie bands are from UK. The countries have produced great bands, the Killers, for example, or the Strokes.
This is the old guard, the generation whose debuts have already appeared at the millennium. There are few bands from the second new generation who manage the quality of their influences reach even close.
Cold War Kids are different. The mere name evokes the hopes of creativity that are redeemed unconditionally. On this debut album "Robbers and Cowards" everything was on: A hit with "We Used to Vacation," a soul song with "God Make Up Your Mind", total-Hilton lounge fitness.
The 4 guys from California have also indicated in her first passion to soul and jazz, in her new album "Loyalty to Loyalty", on the 19th with us appeared, they live this weakness still a lot more freely.
The disk runs up and down like a single concert, and develop themselves by MP3 player, the songs her mood perfectly. See you in black leather chairs sit, prefer the security camera making faces, while four musicians observations to a sprawl on the couch and her songs the best.
jam is cool. The
Plate begins "Against Privacy" and you get the same times the full dose of soul-hewn face.
Down Beat, the first song on guitar melodies aufbgebaut, Nathan Willett stähnt again more than he sings, and is similar to a godfather of indie music in general. Thom Yorke of Radiohead, that is.
Although the melody and the tempo of the piece is not particularly changed, until finally we get again a guitar solo presents that start at the beginning quietly but then a dramatic conclusion with jazz drumming increases in the background, and then unexpectedly terminates .
end.
We hear "Mexican Dogs" and the same time the first hit of the album. First, the howls Singer in the style of a wolf in the moon, then starts the song. Aggressive vocals, intent on melody, with guitar troubled background. The chorus begins a nightly anarchy, the piano is at the Cold War Kids not around in the corner. On this perfect chorus again follows the verse, but this time more dramatically than before, the piano is now fully integrated, supports the song. And then we come to even the guitar solo, the song breathes Nathan Willett in the background, just before he begins to complain even non groaning, then this song is over.
In the style of rock stars from the 60's begin the next big hit, "Every Valley Is Not A Lake". The piano plays again plays an important role, the rocking intro, and with the guitar and singing the Cold War Kids are falling back into their melodic anarchy that distinguishes them and this album so much. The band can not overcome the implied melancholy of their songs, no, she fights in the person of Nathan Willett against it. Successful.
hear in the middle of the song we once again play the piano, the guitar in the background, it is a new beginning in the middle of the piece. Melody changes, the guitar is now in the foreground, a beat single of the music now and then hiding.
The single from the album "Something Is Not Right With Me" now follows, and is often heard here, why is this song the first single.
This Song will be on German TV at some point be used as background music for clips of sports events, because he will find in Germany is no other use. But we do not complain about the inadequacy of the German media, we allow ourselves to be infected by the dance-tune of the song. "Something Is Not Right With Me, I Try Not To Let It Show" Nathan Willett in the most aggressive screams very durable micro, and it sounds wonderful, stimulating the merry dance along. The song seems almost only from one tune to exist, but we do not listen to what hit five times the chorus?
"Whistle Blower, Gotta get out of school - They do not want poets, they want pigeons on a Stull"
texts of knots, with African bongos background. Again following the anarchy of guitar, bongos, vocals, piano and jazz drumming. Soulful, and class. "Devils in the deep valley," is the refrain in which the anarchy fails this time completely. The line is sung alone threatening, with dark foreboding. It fits the mood that followed on the bongos. Yes, the songwriter-scheme of the Cold War Kids can be clearly seen in the fourth song, adapted to the pop, but that is a criterion by which every other indie band would erase. A kind of argument of the manslaughter Popscene.
"Golden Gate Jumpers" is the first song, which emphasizes the soul influence most clearly. A quiet song, piano and jazz brush in the foreground. This song could be sung by a jazz singer, no doubt.
Similarly it is with the next song, "Avalanche in B". Once again, Nathan Willett spent in front of the mic, and his voice fits great into the jammige atmosphere, which is managed by piano and drums.
a more pop, indie-ready song we got with "I've Seen Enough", served the seventh track on the album. Beat Hilfiger rhythm guitar beatige, by a term beat song. In return, the three first chorus back in their modern soul, are imaginative drumming here to listen to, and then comes liberation. "I've Seen Enough" is it then, and speed is recorded while you return to the verse. This song has a really liberating, I actually covered only a word to the song that really fits. Freedom to be free, the press, this song perfectly.
on the exemption following the funeral. At least for the four Californians from Long Beach. "Every Man I Fall For" is once again a soul song, inventive guitar and again. Rather, it is for this song then do not say. But slowly, the whole soul is a bit too much, it works on this Puinkt somewhat unimaginative.
But Cold War Kids are not stupid, and now have another go with some of the laminated mixture. "Dreams of Old Men" can be heard now, we hear Indie again. Another amazing songwriting, inventive lyrics. And the atmosphere of the song fits with the statement of the lyrics, the person of a "Dreaming Old Man". The Cold War Kids prove again why they are very much appreciates.
is now also the love song, again a soul song, dominated by the piano and the inimitable voice of Nathan Willett. The song sounds different than the other soul songs, because there is less anarchy is mixed to it than that, you let the mood just at rest. This fits in with this album, in this position on the board just great, we must acknowledge once again the qualities of the band.
begins Ungewoöhnlicherweise "relief" with a synthesizer, and when to Nathan Willett then moan even with an unusually high voice / singing starts, one gets the impression that this could be a Radiohead song. The chorus is dominated by the line "I'll be Back", it is once again the voice of Nathan Willett in the center, would be the whole song like the chorus, he would have been written for the indie-disco. But this is not so, and that's a good thing.
completes the album with "Cryptomnesia", a soulful soul song. Cold War Kids seem to have a practical sense, because this song has really only Nathan Willett, the keyboard player and singer on stage, everyone else can ever clean up.
only the bass drum is operated in the background. In the middle there are once again about three seconds, guitar, and then also sets the bass on in the background, and it will finally return dramatically. Now is suddenly and unexpectedly, the guitar in the foreground, but not for long, because the sequence ends abruptly, and it is returned to the atmosphere of the beginning. Then is "Loyalty to Loyalty" to the end.
Overall sound, a dark album, and although a bit heavy indie-rock fare, but the Cold War Kids have proven their quality, and a more mature album "Robbers and Cowards" submitted. Mature is not always bad, in California in the greater diversity for even better, in my opinion.
The NME gives the album 7 out of 10. I am less strict, find the album deserves 8 / 10 .
Something Is Not Right With Me - Official Video
