British band, The Kooks broke into the music scene with their album Inside In The Inside Out. Being charged with trying to ride the music wave that the now non-existent band The Libertines began, The Kooks had a lot to prove. The Kooks are more than a Libertines copycat. They do their thing excellently. No matter what; you can’t slap down great sounding music.
First, the boys in this band are quite young so the songs are about the things that young men think about. Every song is a love song whether it’s bad or good love. You know there is a girl behind each tune. Still, each one has its own outlook on love and sound. They’ve got the rough guitar sound, they’ve got the British accent but they still bring their own twist to it.
It is interesting how The Kooks open up their album, however. It’s slow- just an acoustic guitar and singing. It makes you think that the album is going to be boring. It’s just going to be some guy lamenting about his love life while trying to appear as some rock star. There is more to it than that.
The next song, “See The World”, has such a in your face guitar that makes it clear they are to be taken seriously as a band. The simple chord sounding hard with all the reverb (the echoing guitar sound you hear in songs such as “Ants in my Pants” by the Phantom Surfers.) that lets you know there is a lot more to The Kooks than just love songs.
Next up is The Kooks big hit from this album “Eddie’s Gun”. It is about being hit on by a girl but not knowing what to do. “Did you see the way she looked at me? She’s got an eye for an awkward guy like me”. The playful yet repetitive guitar sound coupled with the exasperated lyrics hooks the listener and pulls them into the story of the song. Once again, men and women can identify with such a catchy song.
“I Want You” is a song that anyone in high school and above could understand. The opening line “take me back to the place where I loved this girl for all time” makes everyone remember that first love. It starts off slowly with a nostalgic vibe but then kicks into an energetic sound that demands your attention.
“You Don’t Love Me” describes the heart break of being cheated on. This is another hit for The Kooks and for good reason. The angry yet simple lyrics along with a mean guitar add to the feeling of betrayal and get the point across so strongly. The emotion conveyed makes this song a stand out. “You don’t love me they way that I love you because if you did girl you would not do those things you do”. You get where they’re coming from, don’t you?
I would recommend that people listen to this CD if they’re into a slightly indie rock n’ roll scene. If you are interested go check out this site: www.thekooks.com/home.
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