Cold War Kids: Robbers & Cowards

By Kenya Jones

Recorded in LA over a two-week period in August 2006, the Cold War Kids debut LP Robbers & Cowards is comprised almost exclusively of previously released songs from the bands' two former EPs: Up In Rags and With Our Wallets Full. With the exception of two new tracks “Passing The Hat” and “God Make Up Your Mind", the entire album is a re-recorded second serving of CWK’s best.

If you aren’t familiar with the Fullerton, CA, natives and their unique sound, you should be. Matt Aveiro, Matt Maust, Jonnie Russell and Nathan Willett have described themselves as “Reagan babies, missile fears and international blues,” whatever that means. What is known is that they boast a hell of a live act with great music to back up their on-stage antics.

Much buzzed about since even before the release of the EPs, CWK stand mostly on legs grown out of spectacular live performances (at venues large and small including the gargantuan music festival Lollapalooza), word of mouth and favorable reviews. Previously on tour with fellow celebrated indie band Tapes n’ Tapes, the Kids spent this entire year rolling with the avalanche of ever-growing praise about their abilities both as live performers and as superb song writers.

Listening to Robbers & Cowards it certainly isn’t hard to miss the fact that they are an enthrallingly, talented bunch. Great musicians through and through, they have the sound of practiced experts having learned the rules in order to be able to bend them enough to challenge convention. Interestingly odd, in good ways, the album's accidentally-on-purpose sound makes it an unmistakably unique offering in a market currently flooded with generic copy after copy of unimpressive music.

Robbers & Cowards is indeed impressive. There are strange things happening with pianos. There is blues-rock mated with blue-grass, gospel funk and soul. Tambourines and symbols compliment hand claps, foot stomps and choirs. There’s front man Nathan Willet often sounding like he’s channeling Jeff Buckley and running the gamut of moods and emotions with his vocals. Sloping gracefully from reflective remorse and quiet lament to care-free enjoyment and celebratory praise. While his lyrics have weight, the music he and his band mates drape them in doesn’t let them become too heavy.

Simultaneously painting pictures of backyards, church services, death row, river banks and twilit trees with snapshots of wine, hospital beds, fast lives longed to be slowed down, joy and misery, shame and regret, Robbers & Cowards spills wisdom and retrospection right along with the warm fuzzy of nostalgia. Its strongest suits are plenty, collected in the tracks “We Used To Vacation", “Hang Me Up To Dry", “Saint John", “Hospital Beds" and “Rubidoux".

The band rarely mis-steps, though they came close with the warbling ghost track “God Make Up Your Mind” which plays rather uncomfortably like an out-of-tune instrument that, fittingly enough, cannot make up its mind whether or not it belongs. “Passing The Hat” just as easily tips the scale in the other direction. Willet is at his Buckley-best on this one, calling on drums and melodies reminiscent of the classics “Grace", and “Dream Brother".

While the album may be familiar territory for those who have followed the Cold War Kids on their journey right through the rip of musical obscurity to where they’ve since ended up, for those of us who couldn’t quite place them—but knew we should be able to—it’s a pleasant breath of fresh air.

Robbers & Cowards the LP is definitely worthy of the praise the band itself has earned while making and showcasing the music that completes it. It isn’t too much or too little of anything. The Kids are just right. Just the way we like them.