Rob's Album Of The Week: Cold War Kids' Dear Miss Lonelyhearts

Combining soul, r&b, alternative rock and even a little bit of jazz, Cold War Kids from Fullerton, CA are one of the most uniquely groovy bands of the past 15 years. Nathan Willett's vibrato resonates pure heart and emotion with lyrics that seems like he's pouring his guts out on to the floor with every song. Cold War Kids' music is as genuine as it gets, and the tracks off of their new album Dear Miss Lonelyhearts pretty much exude what the title says. This one goes out to all the people who have no choice but to stay home alone while they're longing for another to keep them warm at night. Want to talk about romantic? Listen to Cold War Kids' new record and you're bound to fall in love with it.

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts also shows a minor change in the band as well. Prior to going into the studio to record the album, original guitarist Johnnie Russell left the band leaving the remaining members to recruit Dann Gallucci from Modest Mouse who also co-produced Cold War Kids' new album with Lars Stalfors. The addition of Dann Gallucci showed a borderline psychedelic shift, still keeping some of the grit from their previous records but at times being more spacious. Think of it as a record from The Smiths but if Otis Redding was the lead singer instead of Morrissey.

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Do I really need to tell you what I'm about to do? You really should know this by now, if not then you should read this piece of music journalism every week to get a feel of how my trashcan of a mind processes words. Yea, it's that time where I tell you how hard it is to tell you my favorite songs off of Dear Miss Lonelyhearts. Don't get me wrong, it's never easy but that's what I get for writing about awesome music. Maybe next week I should trash Justin Bieber just for kicks, anyways here goes something:

"Jailbirds" has a really cool drumbeat that holds the entire track together and meshes all the instruments into a truly magnificent song. "Miracle Mile" is the first single off of the record and the piano hits you like a machine gun, with the fingers repeatedly gracing the keys to make a very fast-paced track. "Loner Phase" has that spacious quality I mentioned earlier, at times it makes me think that the likes of Daft Punk joined them on the song. Now don't just sit there on your ass and be complacent with me naming a select few tracks, get the new album from Cold War Kids you lazy bum.

Cold War Kids will be performing at The Paradise Rock Club in Boston this Wednesday on April 10th, it's already sold out but if you have a ticket don't miss out. A few days later they'll be at Webster Hall in New York City on April 13th as well, but until they come to your favorite music venue get a copy of Cold War Kids' Dear Miss Lonelyhearts. It's rock & roll with a whole lot of soul.

- Rob Duguay