Fullerton, Calif.'s Cold War Kids have always been eccentric. Their sophomore LP, however, takes bizarre to a whole new level. Loyalty to Loyalty showcases bluesy guitar and enough reverb to convince you that the album was recorded in an underground cavern or some enormous, empty amphitheater; ghostly piano lines round out the haunted-house feel.
Musically, the album is decidedly bipolar; it lies somewhere between Sweeney Todd and Spoon, between a piano bar and the White Stripes. Songs like "On The Night My Love Broke Through" are mainly comprised of swinging piano work, otherworldly guitar and deliberate, rolling percussion.
On the other side of the album's musical spectrum, "Something Is Not Right With Me" features a danceable up-down bass line, staccato piano stabs and a chorus that's easy to belt out alongside Nathan Willett's rollicking vocals: "Something is not right with me/Something is not right with me/Tryin' not to let it show." The album's central idea, quickly laid out in "Something," is elaborated by "Dreams Old Men Dream," where Willett sings of various identity crises.
The whole album holds together thematically, ultimately winding down with "Cryptomnesia." The musical disconnects are sometimes too much to take though, as dance-rock slams into contemplative shoegaze in the progression from track to track. So, if you choose, take the plunge into the Cold War Kids' cave - just be warned that you might emerge with a weird aftertaste.
