Konk is unlikely to survive the summer
May 2, 2008
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While a new pop/rock sensation popped out of Great Britain’s rock scene every week, The Kooks surprised everybody with their first album Inside In/Inside Out two years ago. The quartet from Brighton succeeded in imposing the cool trend of long curly hair and, most importantly, their songs upon European audiences, becoming the “it” band of 2005.
Yet nothing predestined them to this path. Borrowing their name from a song of David Bowie’s album Hunky Dory, these four men, barely out of adolescence, did not seem to have what it takes to stand out of the saturated British rock landscape. A minimal sleek rock look coming out directly from designer Hedi Slimane’s imagination, an extremely cocky self-confidence, some teenage love songs, the now mandatory “The” name, some basic riffs, catchy refrains and a regional accent are required for any wannabe British band. So, how were The Kooks any different? While it is true that most British bands now have at least one good tune, The Kooks carried the entire LP on flawless and incredibly engaging singles. From the tuneful “Naïve” to the fragile “Seaside,” The Kooks delivered a tremendous and already quite mature pop/rock album.
After such a good first album and a series of memorable concerts, The Kooks took the road back to the studios to record their second and highly anticipated second opus, Konk, named after The Kinks’ mythical studio. Although this decisive album is not a bad one, it is definitely far from being a masterpiece. The Kooks decided to write a very poppy, mauve album, but by trying too hard, they just delivered an album that seems too forced and artificial, as if the band tried to claim The Kinks’ title. But it’s not clear if the band actually took pleasure recording those songs, contrary to their model, The Kinks.
While predictable, Konk is a decent album, definitely above the quality of most British bands’ albums. It opens with what could be one of the best singles of the summer, “See the Sun.” This tune definitely has everything to charm and conquer people in search of tenacious pop nuggets characteristic of summertime. Luke Pritchard’s voice keeps this self-confidence that made the first album so enjoyable, and the melody is diabolically pleasurable.
Nevertheless, the entire album does not live up to the expectations of this opening song and is pretty uneven. Each good song seems to be paired with an average one.
The sincere lyrics, one of the main assets of The Kooks’ first album, are missing on this second opus. Gone are the reminiscences about daily life worries like premature ejaculation on the beautiful “Eddie’s Gun.” The band keeps on writing about sex and love, but these lyrics are anything but complicated and even quite hollow sometimes, like on “Gap” (“I miss you and I love you and that’s true”).
Following Razorlight’s footprints more than The Coral’s, The Kooks deliver an easy listening album, which, while very enjoyable, would definitely not survive the summer, contrary to other recent rock bands that are truly innovate, such as Vampire Weekend.
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