Cold War Kids is a band that’s always been known for their jagged intensity, harsh melodies and gritty narrative lyrics; they’re a happy, if not imperfect, confluence of the white boy blues and soul of The White Stripes, Spoon and the Black Keys. Buoyed by the distinctly exceptional vocal chords of Nathan Willett, Cold War Kids have managed to amass an impressive, dedicated following in the alt–rock world.
Their newest album, Mine Is Yours, was the band’s big chance to capitalize on their rising star and catapult themselves into the highest echelon of the alternative music hierarchy. However, with this album they unfortunately miss the mark, forsaking what made them so good in the first place.
The issues (as they often do) start with the production on this one: Cold War Kids brought in Jacquire King — the Kings of Leon hitmaker — to guide the album’s sound.
As a result, the hard edges that were ubiquitous on past albums are smoothed out on Mine Is Yours. The unpolished, infectious energy of tracks like “Something Is Not Right With Me” on 2008’s Loyalty to Loyalty seems like a distant memory compared to this album’s supposed highlights, the radio–friendly “Mine Is Yours” and “Louder Than Ever.”
Going even further, on “Skip the Charades” they sound like an unholy hybrid of the Killers and Kings of Leon — basically, anything but themselves. Of course, the album isn’t without its bright spots: the ambitiousness of “Out of the Wilderness” is impressive, and “Sensitive Kid” is a pleasant reminder of past efforts. Ultimately, this isn’t a bad album by any means. It’s just frustrating to see a creative band put out an album that is so sanitized. Don’t get me wrong, the two previous Cold War Kids albums had their fair share of imperfections, too. Mine Is Yours just isn’t imperfect in the way we want it to be.
Sounds Like: Kings of Leon, minus overdone Southern drawl 99–cent Download: “Out of the Wilderness” Good for: Some radio–friendly easy listening
