Cold War Kids

The other day, as I was listening to Robbers & Cowards, it occurred to me that I would have been a completely different music fan without the Internet. Sure, I was still a fanatic even when I just listened to the K-Rock, watched MTV and MuchMusic, and read Rolling Stone. I liked the one semi-obscure band all the medias championed and had a ton of CDs arrive by mail from BMG music service before downloading was all the rage. But when I think about all the bands I missed that I would have liked – Pavement, Sunny Day Real Estate, Built to Spill – I am sure I definitely would have missed out on the Cold War Kids.

It's not that Robbers & Cowards is an easy album to let go once you've heard it. Its angular garage sounds and frontman Nathan Willet's oscillating vocals are intriguing enough to warrant many a repeat listen. Opener "We Used to Vacation" pits morality against booze over the loud-soft garage rock that Nirvana mainstreamed. "Hospital Beds" crescendos from a piano ballad into thumping drums and whining guitars. My personal favorite, "Tell Me in the Morning" finds the guitar licks paralleling Willet's vocal path about putting off dealing with life. All throughout these songs, the Cold War Kid's brilliance show in bass lines that propel songs along, infectious vocal bridges and some of the more crafty lyrics this year.

I may never have gotten my hands on this album back in the day. The bloggers love Cold War Kids now, but the magazines still don't give them too much press. There isn't a radio "hit" to be found. Even with its abundance of standout moments, the "rawk" is still slightly too raw to be sold to the mainstream. Robbers & Cowards, with all its intricacies, falters in random spots, leaving portions of songs, and sections of the album, slightly grating, repetitive, or boring.

Even with their missteps, I still like what I've heard of these Cold War Kids. Robbers & Cowards is an ambitious production, but this is one example where the separate pieces are more engaging alone. So I'm glad there is the blog phenomenon and I caught their debut, even if they still have a way to go as artists. A consistent album is just outside their reach. This is a band best listened to in small doses, one song at a time. Thankfully I can do that on my iPod these days. - David Pessah, kNewIt06

Having shaped their sound and imagery with three EPs for Monarchy Music and a demanding touring schedule, it's no surprise that Cold War Kids have more presence on their first full-length, Robbers & Cowards, than many bands do on their debut albums. Their evocative, oddly soulful vignettes contain shades of Spoon's sardonic, piano-driven rock; the insistent, jittery feel of One Time Bells-era French Kicks; the poetic, rumpled ramblings of the Walkmen; the stripped-down bluesiness of the White Stripes; and in their more theatrical moments, a ghostly trace of Jeff Buckley, as well as touches of folk and gospel. That's not to say that Cold War Kids are derivative -- it's more like they take inspiration in classic sounds (indie or otherwise) and tweak them to their own designs. And even if there's more comforting, built-in familiarity with a touch of freshness in their music than radical originality, there's something to be said for familiarity, especially when it's done this well. For fans of the band's EPs, Robbers & Cowards will sound familiar for another reason: it takes most of its songs from Up in Rags and With Our Wallets Full, giving them a slightly fuller, cleaner sound. Fortunately, this only enhances the band's most distinctive assets: Nathan Willett's high-pitched, nasal, vibrato-heavy voice, a love it or hate it instrument that gives Cold War Kids a huge part of their character, and their way with storytelling and lyrics with a bookish eye and ear for detail. "We Used to Vacation," a dry-eyed account of alcoholism's effect on a family, and "Passing the Hat," a tale of stealing from the collection plate at church that sounds like it could be from an indie rock musical about the Great Depression, combine both to great effect, but it's the genuine warmth in "Hospital Beds" that makes it the finest moment on an exciting, accomplished debut album. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide