KWCW

The Kooks have become the latest British hit band hoping to carry their success across the pond with the US release of their new album Inside In / Inside Out. This comes after having risen to UK stardom, receiving widespread radio airplay and critical praise from an enthusiastic British press.
Songs like “Eddie’s Gun” and “You Don’t Love Me” immediately make one think of the banging, abrasive electric guitar riffs characteristic of bands like the Libertines. However, if you are looking for witty songs about gritty subjects, this album doesn’t have them. For the most part, the Kooks restrict themselves to writing simple, earnest, sometimes reflective lyrics about teenage life. To their credit, they borrow from a great deal of influences, including a touch of reggae. Sometimes this results in drawn-out songs like “Got No Love” or “I Want You Back” that one would rather skip. However, songs like “Match Box” or “Time Awaits” keep the listener interested by changing rhythms at unpredictable times. “Naive” and “She Moves in Her Own Way” provide Inside In / Inside Out with pop hits to bob your head to.
Does rock music absolutely need the Kooks? Not really. Is it better off with them around? Certainly. Who doesn’t like a damn good summer sing-a-long song? What a shame America is only getting this album just now.

Grade: 3.5/5 lit-up cell phones.

Recommended if you like: The Libertines, Arctic Monkeys, The Strokes

- Jose Ramirez

It may sound like a cheap gimmick, but French collective Nouvelle Vague have hit upon a surprising musical revelation by turning 80s New Wave songs into languid bossa nova songs. In their first album they covered such classics as Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” and “I Melt With You” by Modern English.
Bande A Part, the group’s second album, further explores the possibilities of the whole ‘bossa nova covers of 80s songs’ idea. It runs from Blondie to Bauhaus, and ranges stylistically from a tropical version of “Ever Fallen In Love” to an ominous “Human Fly”. “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” and “Fade to Grey” are dominated by electronic instrumentation, while airy songs like “Don’t Go” and “Let Me Go” sound something like an Astrud Gilberto record.
A great deal of Nouvelle Vague’s success lies in choosing the right songs to cover. “Dancing With Myself” and “Blue Monday” are the exceptions which prove the rule; they fall flat by failing to significantly alter the original structure of the song.
The most memorable track, “Dance With Me” showcases vocalist Melanie Pain (several vocalists participate in this album), whose wispy voice is at once innocent and seductive. She is accompanied by a steady classical guitar rhythm and some accordion and flute flourishes. The result is a dreamy, yet lively pop song. Listen to it once and believe me, you will need to listen to it again and again and again.

Grade: 4.5/5 lit-up cell phones

Recommended if you like: Air, Portishead, or any New Wave, post-punk, or mellow, tropical Latin music.

- Jose Ramirez