[rating=3.00]
Brighton, England has more to gloat about than their ocean front cliff sides. It’s the home to Britpop artists The Kooks. The four band members consisting of lead singer/guitarist Luke Pritchard, guitarist Hugh Harris, bassist Max Rafferty, and drummer Paul Garred have released their debut album Inside In/Inside Out, produced by Tony Hoffer (Beck, Supergrass). The songs show pop/rock influences of early Rolling Stones and The Beatles with clovers of acoustic country/folk figments reflective of Van Morrison and Gram Parsons. The Kooks take elements of funk, rock, country, blues, and pop and weld them into the melodic fold. The songs range from upbeat to mid tempo with a few soft rolling ballads in there. There are many sides to The Kooks on their debut album, all of which are easy on the ears and strut with a comfortable swagger.
“Seaside” delves into country soaked verses while “See The World” and “Sofa Song” are equipped with an upbeat pop/rock coating. There are several songs which display a Britpop influence reminiscent of the Doves and Arctic Monkeys with “Eddie’s Gun,” “Matchbox,“ and “If Only.” The Kooks have a proclivity for finger snapping rhythms and mid tempo chord progressions like on “You Don’t Love Me” and “Ooh La.” The funky grooves on “I Want You” and the bluesy rock grazing for “Time Awaits” add to the band’s versatility. “Jackie Big Tits” draws acoustic guitars with rock rhythms that carry a Rolling Stones vibe. The album ends with two soft rolling ballads “Got No Love” and “Do You Love Me Still” taking The Kooks cheery imbedded melodies to a melancholic lissome flounce.
Cheery, melancholic, bluesy, and rocking are all levels that The Kooks reach on their debut album. The songs move from introspective to out right party tunes and done with an abundance of youthful optimism.
