Cold War Kids Remain Loyal

Cold War Kids

Loyalty To Loyalty

Downtown

Action Rating: 7.5/10

“We paint paintings/ We write scenes for the stage”, Cold War Kids front man Nathan Willett sings in the slow rolling opener “Against Privacy”. Describing exactly what the Cold War Kids do. They paint vivid pictures with their lyrics and create a backdrop of sounds for the stage upon which they play.

Their sophomore album Loyalty to Loyalty starts just where their last album, Robbers and Cowards, left off. Using the same lo-fi production, they continue to develop their sound of soulful, bluesy, indie rock.

The album’s first single “Something Is Not Right with Me” is an extremely catchy stomper with lyrics like, “I tried to call you collect/ you said you would not accept/ your friends are laughing ‘cause nobody uses pay phones.” The “good old days” is the reoccurring theme of the album. Hence “Dreams Old Men Dream”, which brings up a feeling of nostalgia for simpler times. Nathan sings, "Coca Cola costs a quarter on my block", on the very raw and guitar driven "Mexican Dogs". This song is a rocker (with a hint of The White Stripes).

The album has a variety of musical influences. “Golden Gate Jumpers” is a tale about someone attempting suicide and Nathan is the voice of reason. This song is very unique to modern day as it could be a ragtime song. A tribal drum beat starts “Welcome to the Occupation,” a perfect representation of how important and amazing the rhythm section of the band is. “Relief” doesn't seem to fit the rest of the album as it is very electronic yet it's catchy chorus makes it one of the key tracks.

“I’ve Seen Enough” slowly builds up from some soft, haunting, minor piano chords with Nathan singing “How’s it gonna feel when summer ends/ Out of money out of friends.” Then the drums kick in along with a guitar (complete with reverb) and distorted bass. "I've Seen Enough" is the highlight of the album as it is just a perfect song. The album does end in epic fashion with the stripped down “Cryptomnesia” The title, “Cryptomnesia” is defined as a memory bias whereby a person falsely recalls generating a thought, an idea, a song, or a joke, when the thought was actually generated by someone else. What a very interesting concept!

Cold War Kids have created another great album. The album is just as good as their as their last, keeping with the same gritty formula. Only a couple songs are mediocre and that's being harsh.

These guys are truly artists. That’s really what Cold War Kids provide as they release their music in this digital age. The cover artwork and the photography in the booklet were taken by the band add a very unique touch. Just as the title song says, Cold War Kids make art, their lyrics are poetic, and their music is unique. I can't wait for the next album. Thank God for this damn good band!

Standout Tracks: Mexican Dogs, Something Is Not Right With Me, Welcome To the Occupation, I've Seen Enough, Every Man I Fall For, Relief