The Kooks
Konk
Astralwerks
By Hiro Kinuta
I remember the first track by The Kooks I ever heard was “Naïve” from Inside In Inside Out, and I was flat out blown away. The clear honesty in the vocals, the crisp, clever bass and guitar piggybacking, the captivating highs and lows of the songwriting… at last! Pop/Rock that has nothing to be ashamed of! I had high hopes for The Kooks. It seemed that no one could knock there shiny little British rock boots off.
Sadly, it seems that high expectations usually lead to disappointment. Now, I wouldn’t go as far to say that I was disappointed by The Kooks newest release, Konk, but it definitely was an aural stalemate compared to their previous record. Their song titles still maintain the playfully lustful, juvenile air to them, but it seems that their songwriting has taken a softer edge. I am sad to inform the fans who loved the enthusiastic, almost orgiastic sound of Inside In Inside Out, that this record has taken all that down from a 10 to about a 5 or a 6.
Now, enough with the comparisons, and onto the record as it is. The album definitely works as a whole, with no giant freak-out leaps in sound: The Kooks definitely did not have an identity crisis between records. Lets just say they took it easy on this one. Their twangy guitar playing and the yearning (almost whiny) romantic vocals are all still in there, but you wont jump out of your seats when you pop this record in. You’ll most likely be eating a bag of chips or a tub of ice cream on a rainy Friday night with a few friends when you listen to this one.
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