INDIE

Cold War Kids

Since we all live in a deathly dull, post-post modern society where we’ve heard it all before and nothing is new, it is nice to hear something that can fill your belly with a warm glow anyway. Lead single ‘We Used To Vacation’ from this, the Long Beach, California quartet’s debut is probably one of the most humdinigingly tree-mendous songs about surviving alcoholism you will hear all century and cunningly illustrates just what they do best: blend the reckless joy of Pavement and the melodic guile of Ben Folds with the eccentric jangle of Arcade Fire but add their own slightly nervy edge that makes them that wee bit special. Singer Nathan Willett’s adenoidal whine is somewhere between Thom Yorke and Lisa Simpson grates on ocassion but for the most part is oddly beguiling.