The Kooks are an English Indie rock band. Their sound is a throwback kind of sound in some ways, but with little kooky modern tweaks tucked right in there. I could imagine them having fit comfortably in the “British Invasion.”
The Kooks album “Junk Of The Heart” is full of fairly cool song titles, but the actual level of cool that gets reached is not as cool. The album does pick up some in the middle and saves the core from melting down totally, but they are a single sound cut up several times over and presented with a slight tweak again and again. If you don’t enjoy the sound the first time, chances are the entire album may be a loss for you.
“Junk Of The Heart(Happy)”: In the days of Buddy Holly this song might out it, but I found it kind of bland as a throwback or modern song. Kudos for the positive sunshine of the song wanting to make someone happy, but it’s not ambitious enough to take it’s place in music notoriety.
“How’d You Like That”: A lot of “How’d You Like That” in the song “How’d You Like That,” as it should be I suppose, but shouldn’t. Another sing-song spot of shaking without the shake.
“Rosie”: A simple and potentially generic, mildly uptempo pop rock ballad is amplified and made interesting by the wild abandon of backing vocal sound FX layered into the chorus lines.
“Taking Pictures Of You”: The singer’s voice is annoying to me and he keeps asking someone if they remember him taking pictures of them. It is a story into memory, a happy moment and place it seems for him, but if I am the person on the other side of the question I think his approach with the Marilyn Manson FX soundscape looped in the acoustic guitar strums music, combined with his voice, just irritates or creeps me out.
“F$$$k The World Off”: It tries to be suave and nasty low sound and the groove is there, the groove is cool, the profanity is snapped out quick, not really profane, and that is cool too. It is some of the merry-making lyrics mentioning waterfalls and such that put too much spring into the low sound groove, but just because it wasn’t perfect for me doesn’t mean it’s not a good song. Learn this one on your guitar, pop the collar on your leather jacket, and play it for your special lady.
“Time Above The Earth”: More of an interlude than anything, the singer gives some lyrics over a strings arrangement. It’s slightly poetic, slightly obnoxious.
“Runaway”: It’s okay. They are doing their thing, I just don’t find it all that interesting, actually some of the songs I was harsher to end up being more interesting in their added “kooks’ that made them bad. Solid little poop-rock that does not make me want to run away, but doesn’t woo me to stay either.
“Is It Me”: “Is It Me” goes a step beyond “Runaway,” somehow takes the music into a better realm for me. As you cans see liking or disliking music is all personal context and taste any way, so why are you reading this? This song doesn’t let the singer’s voice go stagnant for long periods, though is moan near the end could use some work. Decent track in the same vein as most of the other ones, but with more comfortable rocks in the shoes of the step.
“Killing Me”: A swaying pop rock ballad with some bottled up squeal bubbling behind the singer’s vocals. You could find it cool or you could find it silly, I’m walking across the fence and liking enough of the sounds to stay balanced in my criticism.
“Petulia”: It works if you are backstage and just a huge fan of the band. Otherwise it’s just some dweebs getting high off of their own acoustic poetry.
“Eskimo Kiss”: It goes cute and then somber while staying cute.
“Mr. Nice Guy”: Bad singing, good music with spiky metal reverb FX riding through.