I’m going to start this out with my truthful, and completely SOTS-opposed opinion of the new Cold War Kids album: it’s really, really disappointing.  I’ve been badgered by friends, co-workers, people on the street, a child in a movie theatre, two elderly folks damn accurate with their pointy canes about “giving it another listen” and “not being such a pretentious asshole” and I have and I’m trying.  But here’s the thing: it’s still a really disappointing album.  Where Robbers & Cowards moved and pulsed and wrapped itself around Nathan Willett’s nasal-whine, Loyalty to Loyalty alienates it, surrounding it with slow off-beat progressions that at most expose the limited aspect of his vocal range.  I found this album to be grating, almost off-putting on first listen, and now, many many many listens later, I feel the same.  Hate me if you will, but that’s my honest truth.

That said, the first five track off this album are good, if not great tracks, with the highlight being the single “Something Is Not Right With Me”.  A solid, repetition based Cold War Kids album that introduces a new sound to their, limited repertoire – disco bass.  You heard me, mix Cold War Kids with a late-70s era ass-moving disco explosion and, surprisingly, it works, like a charm.  It actually makes me interested to hear what an album of electronic-based instrumentation would sound like with Willett’s distinctive whine over it.  Nonetheless, I’m disappointed in the album, because I loved the first one so much, and this, in comparison is nearly the definition of sophomore slump.

Enjoy this track though, it’ll shake your ass, hard.

Cold War Kids – Something Is Not Right With Me