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Written by Ryan Hogan
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May 15, 2008 at 12:57 PM |
Artist: The Kooks
Album: Konk
Release: 04.14.2008
Label: Virgin Records
Rating: 7.5 of 10
In a recent interview, Luke Pritchard said that he wanted the Kooks’ second album Konk to be “big.” Certainly the 13-track, diverse-but-cohesive, sophomore effort is a very nice offering from the Brighton, U.K. quartet, but is it really “big?” Not really, but it’s a very respectable “medium.”
Immediately you’ll realize how well the Kooks can “pop” out. The album’s first track “See The Sun” is a toe-tapping tune with a clever hook and appealing vocal line. “See The Sun” leaves you wanting for more and the next track, and the album’s first single “Always Where I Need To Be,” delivers. This catchy upbeat tune continues the bright tone of the album and also introduces us to their thoughtfully austere lyrics: “'cause I'm always where I need to be/and I always thought I would end up with you, eventually.”
Although young pups (the oldest member is only 23) the Kooks have penned a bevy of songs containing amazingly mature and poignant lyrics. In “Mr. Maker” we hear Pritchard croon: “the girls in the alley won't get a hold of him/he's got no time for that kind of sin.” In the feel-good “Shine On” we are captivated by: “safety pins holding up the things/that make you mine/about your hair, you needn't care/you look beautiful all the time.” The Kooks’ lyrics complement their superb compositions, giving substance to their pop and meaning to their melodies.
Despite the Kooks’ pop composing competency, the album does seem to be affected—the band is named after a David Bowie song (from the album Hunky Dory) and Konk is the name of the Ray Davies owned studio where the album was recorded, so it’s not hard to see why. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing (certainly if I recorded an album I would do the same thing only tenfold) but it may be a distraction if you are familiar with the classics. For listening to Konk you can almost hear the Kooks thinking: “okay, let’s do a Bowie song (Down to The Market)…now it’s time to imitate ‘County Honk’ from Let It Bleed (Tick of Time and All Over Town)… let’s move on to a Kinks’ inspired tune (Mr. Maker)… let’s do a song like the ‘Two of Us’ from Let It Be (Tick of Time).”
Their mimicry of past masters isn’t what keeps the Konk from being a classic; it’s their bland arrangements and the album’s poor production (I guess we can thank their producer Trevor Hoffer for that). The album’s well composed songs are betrayed by boring instrumentation, uninspired solos and cliché riffs. The Kooks melodies and lyrics are very interesting and engaging but their music is equally as uninteresting and repulsive.
That’s what inevitably prevents Konk from being “big.” Still there’s a lot to like with The Kooks’ second album. It has smooth, swaying jams like “Love It All” and down and dirty rockers like “Do You Wanna,” feel good sing-a-longs like “Shine On” and haunting acoustic numbers like “All Over Town.” Basically, if you like no-holds-barred pop songs and don’t mind if they are executed poorly, than you’ll love Konk.
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