Review Summary: Cold War Kids' great debut is both a moody and catchy indie rock performance.
Bassist Matt Maust came up with the idea of the band name when walking around Budapest. He saw a playground built on top of statue ruins of the communist era, and the name popped up on his head. This scene is not only meaningful to the band's identity but seems to be what
Cold War Kids wished to portray on their debut
Robbers & Cowards: music with a melancholic but playful feeling.
The band does a great job at capturing this moody atmosphere while still providing catchy music. Opener
We Used To Vacation, with its sound built by a pairing of piano and maracas, has a bluesy quality that is melancholic but upbeat at the same time. Songs like
Saint John and
Hair Down take some instruments out of the mix and it works surprisingly well, making for better song progressions and construction of mood.
The album has a great sound that heightens it's emotional energy. Nathan Willet's vocals are on point, giving an emotional power to the lyrics. The bass is very prominent in the mix, which is totally sexy. Each chord booms and echoes pleasantly, giving texture and character to the tracks. The inclusion of other instruments, such as the piano, tambourine, and maracas give the album more diversity and make for a more colorful palette of sounds.
The lyrics are also a high point on the record. Each song presents the story of a troubled character narrated from their perspective, focusing on the emotions and difficulties they experience.
We Used To Vacation tells the tale of an alcoholic that wishes to be a better father, but can't get away from the bottle.
Hospital Beds pictures a man stuck in a hospital, sharing joy and misery with his roommate.
Saint John improves the narrative sonically. The song portrays a man in jail, convicted because he accidentally killed his sister's harasser. A steady tambourine rhythm leads the piece, which sounds as if the protagonist was sadly dragging his chains.
However, the quality of the included songs is sometimes uneven.
Tell Me In The Morning removes the blues rock traits of the preceding tracks and goes for a more formulaic pop rock structure.
Pregnant breaks the momentum of the album with a very slow and uninteresting ballad. Listening to the song is a slog that I often feel tempted to skip, as the much more fun
Red Wine, Success! comes next on the tracklist.
Cold War Kids' debut is a solid musical release. Even though it has its rough corners, the overall package packs a considerable punch, thanks to its great mix of smart lyrics and moody yet energetic instrumentation. It is a worthy addition to any indie rock fan's musical collection.
. For this one, I asked a friend to tell me which album to review, so this was definitely harder (I am used to writing about stuff I really like). Need to keep the practice going with albums I don't love nor hate, which are much harder to nail down.
