Cold War Kids: Robbers & Cowards
Cold War Kids are a California-based band who have earned a significant level of interest
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Wednesday, 07, Feb 2007 04:18
V2, February 5th.
In a nutshell.
Reflective, personal, tragic, repetitive, polarised
What's it all about?
Robbers & Cowards is principally a series of songs that reveals the fragility of people and explores their Shakespearian fatal flaws. We Used to Vacation is a perfect example of Cold War Kids following this simple model to great effect, revealing the cataclysmic impact of alcohol abuse upon a family. "I kiss the kids the kids at noon/Then stumbled out the family home," Nathan Willett sings, before breaking the constant beat of the drums and stripping the song right back. He goes on: "I promised to my wife and children/I'd never touch another drink as long as I live/But even then it sounds so soothing," and the songs erupts into some raucous guitar.
However, the polarised nature of this album means that while it can be quite poignant in places, it can also be rather drab and repetitive. Tell Me In The Morning is one of a few songs on Robbers & Cowards when Willett's voice becomes a pain rather than a joy and the track Hair Down sounds like a poor effort at a blue grass number. Overall this record promises much, but hits just as many troughs as it does peaks.
Who's it by?
Cold War Kids are a California-based band who earned a significant level of interest when they appeared at South by Southwest and Lollapalooza festivals last year. A stint supporting Clap Your Hands Say Yeah added to their repertoire, particularly at a time when Clap Your Hands were enjoying a shortlived stay at the top of the wacky indie perch.
Nathan Willett is a large percentage of the Cold War Kids' sound. His voice is piercing and he's not afraid to race through his vocal chords at a rapid rate leading you to wonder whether it's actually Russell Watson behind the mike. Robbers & Cowards is Cold War Kids' debut album, after a string of EPs on various different labels. This could explain the inconsistency on the LP, with a medley of the old and the new leading to confusion, rather than refreshing variety.
As an example.
"Hang me out to dry/You wrung me out too, too many times/Hang me out to dry." This latest single is a guidebook to the Cold War Kids' sound. Much of it is given over to Willett's voice, which would be fine if you either loved it or hated it, but instead his howling just seems to generate a mild animosity.
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
Unlikely as this record will be critically panned more than it's lauded.
What the others say
"Christians make great storytellers. The fact that three of the Cold War Kids first met at an evangelical college suggests that they know a God-bothering yarn or eight." - NME
"Swampy bass rumbles rub up against spiky post-punk guitar chimes, primitive percussion and the aforementioned earthy piano boogie that gives Cold War Kids their Springsteen-esque majesty." Uncut
So is it any good?
There's a strong level of religiosity in this record, not to a hedonistic level, but still fairly self-evident. The morals and stories of sadness portray a band that has deep feelings about society and wishes to disperse a message of goodwill and what have you. However, it stumbles into more cliches than a Preston-penned love ode to Chantelle. Teenage pregnancies are given the 'full of doubt' treatment and God Make Up Your Mind attempts to get political without the anger.
Cold War Kids certainly aren't a bad band, this album has its strong points and when Willett judges a song correctly the results can be impressive. We Used To Vacation makes the formula work, with intriguing music backed up by a heartfelt vocal. But all too often the band lapses into a track full of gimmicks. Rubidoux seems like an attempt at rapping perhaps, or at least a quick beat and Kevin Federline-style rhyme - it's all rather vulgar.
Red Wine Success is an intriguing track, mixing the blues with some old fashioned rock 'n' roll and saving this album from the abyss. Cold War Kids haven't produced anything startling here, and many bands have released something far better and gone on to collapse. But there's a foundation to work with should Willett and co manage to harness it and display it imaginatively.
6/10
Karl Pike