Cold War Kids: Loyalty To Loyalty

Considering the political touches that Cold War

Kids sprinkle throughout Loyalty To Loyalty¸ it's hard not to view "loyalty"

in its recent political context: When it's valued more than competence, the

word is no longer so positive. It has an unfortunate connotation here, since

the band rigidly (and, yes, loyally) adheres to the sound of its impressive

debut Robbers & Cowards, whether it's working or not. While that record

managed to blend the disparate aesthetics of classic, Woodstock-esque soul-rock

and stripped-down, bar-basement blues, the jittery urgency on Loyalty To

Loyalty

has been largely stripped of songcraft. Nathan Willett is no longer content

with a mere Jack White-style wail; he resorts to screechy barking on "Something

Is Not Right With Me," an otherwise fine tune that could withstand the oral

onslaught were it not taken to even greater extremes on the following track, "Welcome

To The Occupation." To be fair, the record, though more of the same, does have

catchy moments: The band is still best when it pumps energy through the piano,

and poppy numbers such as "Every Valley Is Not A Lake" succeed. But the loyalty

to the exact sound—minus the real hooks—that got Cold War Kids

noticed keeps things mostly stagnant.