It’s fair to say that The Kooks started
their career at the top of their game. 2006’s debut album “Inside In Inside
Out” came out at a time when a new wave of guitar bands like Arctic Monkeys and
Franz Ferdinand were smashing the charts. Brighton band The Kooks were a part
of this scene and they had a few big hits during this time period such as “She
Moves in Her Own Way”, “Naïve” and “Ooh La”.
Time moved on though, and the indie four
piece struggled to recapture the form that they started out with. Second and
third albums (Konk and Junk of the Heart) were underwhelming to say the least
so something different needed to be done. However, if you look to heavens
you’ll find that fourth album “Listen” is here to save the day. This new
offering sees the band reinvent themselves into something that’s fresh and
exciting.
Rhythmically, this album is so strong and
interesting, even from the first few seconds. Opener “Around Town” has a groove
The Stone Roses would be proud of and “Down” is immensely funky to the point
where it’s almost silly. Try listening to these two songs without moving, it’s
pretty bloody hard! Seriously, this album is littered with chirpy beats and
melodies that’ll put a smile on even the gloomiest of faces.
On some of The Kooks previous albums, the
band sounded quite bland and tiresome. Not on here though, because each song
has some kind of variety on it that’ll make you think, “ohh this sounds like so
and so”. For example, “Dreams” has the feel of a lazy Parisian summer and
“Westside” has some synthpop influences creeping in on it at times. This record even has a tender piano ballad on
it with “See Me Now”, something that’s never been done by the band before.
You could argue that The Kooks may never
achieve the same amount of commercial success they once had, but when it comes
to being artistically creative, they’re not bad. This album sees their indie pop sound go from
strength to strength and it really marks a turning point in the band’s career.
It’s official, this is The Kooks reinvented.
OVERALL RATING: 7/10
BEST SONGS: AROUND TOWN, DOWN, SWEET
EMOTION.
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