Customer Reviews

Loyalty To Loyalty

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I heard the first single off this record, 'Somethings not quite right ..', I was convinced that the album was going to be rubbish. That song is terrible. It does nothing, it's throwaway. I bought the album on the strength of their debut 'Robers and Cowards', which was a blinder, but expected a rushed, songless effort. I WAS WRONG! Other than that truly cack first single, it's just as strong as the first! Man am I glad, I think 'Golden Gate Jumpers' is initially my favourite tune on here. I can't wait to catch them live again!

Have just got back from seeing the band live in Brussels so i maybe a little biased. However, the band were awesome. Live or not i'm convinced that if you hearing about the band for the first time, they deserve more than a good listen. If you know the first album then try out the second...impressive stuff. If you ever get the chance to see this band live, do it!

If you've heard Cold War Kids' debut, "Robbers & Cowards", you'd probably agree that despite key tracks such as "We Used To Vacation", "Hang Me Up To Dry" or even "Hospital Beds" and an overall seductive energy, its full length listening was somewhat irritating, mainly due to their singer Nathan Willett's off-key, even mournful at times, falsetto.

Well, it's more of the same on this second effort, except that this time you won't run to the skip button after 30 seconds of any track; the whole mood is rather more downbeat, dare I say soulful, and this time around they have enough good songs (greatness is even overwhelming here on at least four of the 13 tracks) to make a full album, where their debut could (should ?) have been an awesome EP. The piano hard-chords and the guitar twists collide more gracefully, and a few of the vocals even recall the late and great Jeff Buckley, in a far rawer mode for sure.

Highlights ? Well, opener "Against Privacy" sets the mood for most of the album, before "Mexican Dogs" provides a soul-rock anthem of epic proportions. First single, the aptly-titled "Something Is Not Right With Me", melts an almost disco bassline with Willett's sensible roars over an increasing intense backbeat. This should be a hit, but not in The Jonas Brothers' sense for sure... Still, the most rewarding efforts here are when CWKs slow down a bit, to let their truly original musicianship take control of their (and our) senses: "Every Man I Fall For", "Dreams Old Men Dream" (which sounds almost like a harsher, punkier U2 'circa "Boy") and "On The Night My Love Broke Through" (all in one go) form an intense and quite inspiring suite of songs most bands of their generation would kill for (and older ones too, at that).

If you're looking for a truly original noisy-pop band that manages to pull out accurately its passion, anger and emotive skills, and to brilliantly wrap great music at that around them on one single piece of plastic, "Loyalty To Loyalty" provides all of this and more.

Highly recommended.

I love the Cold War Kid's first album but second albums can be hit-or-miss affairs. Not this one - it's as good as the first, so if you like one you should like the other. I'm not at all bothered about the dvd but the price at which the 2-disc set was on offer was better than the cd alone.

If you've heard Cold War Kids' debut, "Robbers & Cowards", you'd probably agree that despite key tracks such as "We Used To Vacation", "Hang Me Up To Dry" or even "Hospital Beds" and an overall seductive energy, its full length listening was somewhat irritating, mainly due to their singer Nathan Willett's off-key, even mournful at times, falsetto.

Well, it's more of the same on this second effort, except that this time you won't run to the skip button after 30 seconds of any track; the whole mood is rather more downbeat, dare I say soulful, and this time around they have enough good songs (greatness is even overwhelming here on at least four of the 13 tracks) to make a full album, where their debut could (should ?) have been an awesome EP. The piano hard-chords and the guitar twists collide more gracefully, and a few of the vocals even recall the late and great Jeff Buckley, in a far rawer mode for sure.

Highlights ? Well, opener "Against Privacy" sets the mood for most of the album, before "Mexican Dogs" provides a soul-rock anthem of epic proportions. First single, the aptly-titled "Something Is Not Right With Me", melts an almost disco bassline with Willett's sensible roars over an increasing intense backbeat. This should be a hit, but not in The Jonas Brothers' sense for sure... Still, the most rewarding efforts here are when CWKs slow down a bit, to let their truly original musicianship take control of their (and our) senses: "Every Man I Fall For", "Dreams Old Men Dream" (which sounds almost like a harsher, punkier U2 'circa "Boy") and "On The Night My Love Broke Through" (all in one go) form an intense and quite inspiring suite of songs most bands of their generation would kill for (and older ones too, at that).

If you're looking for a truly original noisy-pop band that manages to pull out accurately its passion, anger and emotive skills, and to brilliantly wrap great music at that around them on one single piece of plastic, "Loyalty To Loyalty" provides all of this and more.

Highly recommended.