The Kooks - Konk

Fri 11th Apr, 2008 in Music Reviews

Never before has an album gone so far to change the modern music landscape as Konk. The Kooks are amazing. Oh no, wait…they’re just a British garage pop band. But they are pretty good.

After just over two years since their debut Inside In/Inside Out, The Kooks bring us Konk, an album I’d be pleased to tell my friends about, aside from the fact that I’ll have to be saying the word “konk” more often in casual conversation.

Since the last album, The Kooks have changed themselves just as little as they’ve changed rock & roll, and that’s definitely the right move. Their cheeky blend of dirty city swagger and school boy charm is a solid foundation to stick with.

What makes The Kooks stand out from Britpop counterparts like The Fratellis, The Zutons, and The Kaiser Chiefs is the laid-back studio vibe that comes through in their albums. These guys aren’t trying hard to be great; they’re just doing their thing and coming out good. Nothing is too clean or overproduced, and the sound remains generally unaffected.

Tick of Time is a homey, acoustic number, complete with foot stomps, and tambourine jingles. The opening cut of the boys jamming out and laughing is a charming, personal touch, and sounds strikingly like the Almost Famous scene when they bust out Thunderclap Newman ’s Something In the Air at the Riot House party. (All apologies for the obscure reference – but it’s undeniable.)

Konk certainly does have more production overall. The addition of some cool synth effects forms a pensively longing atmosphere, and the second batch of songs is more thought out and mature. Hugh Harris has stepped it up on guitar, weaving in influences from the likes of Jimmy Page and Malcolm Young. Gap is Matchbox meets Seaside, and boasts some pretty cool surfer rock riffs to back Luke Pritchard’s languishing confessional. Love It All is appealing in its simplicity, and Harris hits the mark with a mellow sound a la D’yer Maker. Do You Wanna stands out as the sharpest track, surprisingly reminiscent of (the good side of) – œ80s hair metal.

The lyrics reflect the band’s youth, as Pritchard explores wealth (_Mr. Maker_), image (_Shine On_), and the change that comes with growing up. The dominant theme of lost love runs through the album, as it did on the last. How can such a young, groovy rocker have so much lovelorn woe? Whatever the cause of his strife, Pritchard presents it in a way that is poignantly poetic. His spitty lyrics capture the confusion of young, passionate, directionless love without sounding naïve (no pun intended).

Stormy Weather gets a little heavy and offers up some notable bass and guitar dynamics. It will be interesting to see how the sound will change now that Max Rafferty is out, and Cat the Dog bassist Dan Logan is in. In a sea of buzz bands, The Kooks are out to prove they’re more than a quick headline. They got the world’s attention with Inside In/Inside Out, and they’ll keep it with Konk.