When I heard the Kooks was about to release their sophomore record, Konk, I was literally expecting an Inside In/Inside Out part two, but it was later that I found out that Konk was no part two to their previous debut. In the follow-up to their 2006 album, the Kooks aren’t necessarily breaking any new grounds, displaying songs that sound neater, more polished and less frayed around the edges, (gone were the wacky, youthful delirium) perfectly moulding itself around generic, ready-made pop anthems.The first time I heard the Kooks, I’ve always had the impression that they were a band that were unique in its own kind; lead singer, Luke Pritchard has this way of slurring out the words in his thick accent, making even the plainest sound exotic. Of course, the one thing that people love to draw attention to about the band is how simplistic the lyrics are, and yes I’ve noticed how the words to the songs aren’t so earth-shatteringly good, but then again I don’t really know what ‘earth-shatteringly good’ is either, although, I’m not the kind of listener that contemplates on lyrics that much; it usually takes roughly two weeks later when I begin to start indulging in the words.
I don’t know why people say what they say, but lyrics aside, the record isn’t half as bad as how the reviews make them seem to be. At the end of the day, it’s pretty clear that the songs are nothing but average, nice-to-listen-to, pop tunes, but a couple of things remain undisputed: Pritchard's voice has a world-weary quality that will only get better and better with age, and guitarist Hugh Harris sure knows how to show off those cleverly sculptured riffs throughout the album, especially when most in need of it.
|mp3| The Kooks – Mr. Maker
|mp3| The Kooks – Gap
|mp3| The Kooks – Down the Market
