The Lantern

Issue date: 10/10/08 Section: Arts

Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons
Cold War Kids will be at Newport this Sunday.
The Cold War Kids' newest album "Loyalty to Loyalty," released in September, will not be a disappointment to their fans. The album's tone is a little thicker than "Robbers and Cowards," their last CD, but what they do works, and it works well.

Lead singer Nathan Willett delivers with his notorious bluesy howl and the lyrics continue to touch on depressing topics like suicide in "Golden Gate Jumpers" and domestic violence in "Every Man I Fall For." If you are trying to cheer yourself up, this might not be the CD to put in.

This album shows a broader musical palette from the band. If you are into the band for their popular appeal, you might not like this release as much as the last.

The quartet from Long-Beach has a vintage feel all over their album. From '70s boogie and '60s rock to Chicago blues, the guys have modernized jazz and produced some good jazz rock.

The first song, "Against Privacy," could hold its own next to a big-name jam band and is one of the best songs on the album. The guitar distortion and the keys blend into a great sound and Willett's voice is nothing but chilling.

The songs that best match up with the band's last album are "Mexican Dogs" and "Every Valley Is Not A Lake." Both songs have a stomping beat and catchy lyrics - "Flash lights go out/ The stars will light the way/ Like Mexican dogs, nobody gave us names."

The piano-laced beats and Willett's voice in "Golden Gate Jumpers" transport the listener to a smoky jazz lounge. The song is Willett's drunken tale of helping a woman down from the edge: "Most folks think they'll hit the surface/ And never feel no pain/ Water pulls you under/ Back to the womb once again."

Willett proves he is off his rocker with "Something Is Not Right With Me." Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards' riff coupled with Willett's frenzied words make the listener feel a bit insane, too: "Crash into the people who are sleeping late into the evening/ Reach behind they can hardly find their spine."

"Every Man I Fall For" is the whiniest song on the album. but is still a good listen. If any band can successfully whine, it is the Cold War Kids.

"Relief" is a bit trippy and more modern, with the background beats reminiscent of something The Postal Service would do, and are definitely worthy more experimentation from the band. "You never really know what you can't really see/ I'll be there/ I'll be there," Willett sings. Songs at the end of an album are usually not released as singles, but this would be a great single.

Overall, this CD surpassed expectations - after the second listen. At first I was looking for more songs like "Hang Me Out To Dry" on their debut album that were super catchy. What I realized, though, is that the band is making an effort to expand on the sound it originally produced. Songs such as "On The Night That My Love Broke Through" and "Against Privacy" shed light on the band's potential to effectively jam and carry out some soulful music.

The Cold War Kids will be at Newport Music Hall Sunday at 7 p.m.


Photo courtesy of Cold War Kids
Cold War Kid's latest album "Loyalty to Loyalty" was released last month.


Kimberly Snodgrass can be reached at snodgrass.332@osu.edu.

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