Cold War Kids – Dear Miss Lonelyhearts

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It is safe to say Cold War Kids have completely thrown away the ideas they had from past albums. Using a new guitar player and producer for the album, Dear Miss Lonelyhearts is not something you’d expect from the alternative rock/soul group. Their first three albums (Robbers & Cowards, Loyalty to Loyalty, and Mine is Yours) were by no means of the exact same style, but they weren’t polar opposites either. It was starting to seem like they had developed a winning formula, tweaking things as they went along but nothing too drastic. You could say they had taken a similar approach to that of Arctic Monkeys or Bombay Bicycle ClubThis album throws all that away, but did they still manage to produce an album of enormous quality?

The album actually starts off very well. The first song (also the first single off the album the band released) is a tremendous track, and certainly shows what this album could have been. Miracle Mile features brilliant vocals from lead singer Nathan Willett, and a very catchy piano melody. Surging through Miracle Mile, and on to the thumping and grand Lost That Easy which continues the wonderful beginning to this album. With regret, I have to say that all good things come to an end

This album goes from showing an unbelievable amount of promise, to quite frankly being on the edge of disaster. After the first two tracks, the album unsettles itself. Slowing down the tempo, and turning up the vocal/instrumental synthesizers. Loner Phase seems to be the bands pathetic attempt to appeal to fans of 1980’s music and disco, the song fails to build on the superb start to the album and begins the descent into mediocrity. Fear and Trembling is basically this albums anti-anxiety medication. Completely taking the up-tempo edge off the album, although better than the track before it, it still fails to impress. Some decent vocals as well as a relaxed instrumentals are ruined later on by pathetic groans from Willett and unexciting instrumentals. Tuxedos brings back the talent we all know this band possess. A song that would be very fitting to someone who has just been married, but the wedding was awful. Singing harmoniously about wasting food, and wearing tuxedos, the song is easily the best on the album. This album certainly loves to build you up, and completely destroy all hope you have for the album. 4/5 of the last songs on the album are a nightmare, clueless instrumentals surrounded by desperate vocals make the ending extremely forgettable and ensure the album goes out on a low note. A proven band raises questions about their ability.

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