Photo courtesy of Matt Maust, Cold War KidsPitchforks: 4/5
Released: April 2, 2013
Releasing just in time for the warmer weather, the Cold War Kids's new album is an up-tempo, piano-driven record that's an ode to some of the band's best influences.
Props must be given to the songwriting, which is varied enough to be interesting, but not so much so that the album falls into the same disjointed grave as many of today's Top 40 records. Cold War Kids have very clear strengths, and Nathan Willett's vocals bring the most obviously prominent.
The album's title, "Dear Miss Lonelyhearts," is a reference to Nathanael West's novel "Miss Lonelyhearts," about an advice columnist who struggles under the weight of his readers' problems and his inability to truly solve them. Cold War Kids drew from this inspiration to pull together a solid album about self-examination and West's protagonist drives many of the tracks. It's an interesting spin on the modern alternative album that lends itself to a strong vision and clear, well-written music.
The album starts with a chops-busting "Miracle Mile," a story about selling everything and getting on the road which features Willett chanting, "Come up for air/come up for air" in a desperate search for something he can't seem to find. The track segues into the dreamy, guitar-laden "Lost That Easy" and the rhythmic "Loner Phase." The latter features strong lyrics like, "I went through hell to watch you in outer space." It's here that the band seems to pull the advice columnist behind "Miss Lonelyhearts" into the album most strongly, with a track about the overwhelming weight of internalizing the problems of others.
Two of the albums slower, more mellow tracks follow: "Fear & Trembling" and "Tuxedos." The songs may be closer to ballads than anything else on the record, but they don't lose much of the energy that drives the rest of the album.
Nestled in the middle of the album is "Bottled Affection," during which Willett croons about lack of genuineness in relationships and the downsides to getting older ("You're either the cruel one who gives it up first / Or the bad one who never gets hurt"). It's a theme that ties together nearly as much of the album as "Miss Lonelyhearts." Willett's unique vocals are at their most pronounced here.
There's a soaring, theatrical, Killers-esque edge to the next track, the distorted "Jailbirds." The track would fit right in between "Miss Atomic Bomb" and "Flesh and Bone" on The Killers's 2012 release "Battle Born." There's a mature sound to this track that show real growth from the Cold War Kids's "Mine is Yours" (2011).
Though there are a few strong tracks early on in the album, the record blooms to life in its back half. The quiet "Water & Power" is beautiful and features a great piano riff that's layered between powerful group vocals and the incessant trill of the drum kit. The track is a definite highlight of the album, and it also marks a turning point in the album's mood, as fatigue evolves into resolve ("Cry and move on") and Willett asks, "What are you hiding from? You could be fighting. Come on."
The album comes to a close with "Bitter Poem," a strong final track that is a strong story married with stellar songwriting. It's the kind of song that's meant to close concerts as it builds to a peak and crashes into an anthem-worthy closing chorus and a quiet end.
If there's anything this album is lacking, it's longer tracks. Many of the songs barely hit the three-minute mark, and they're good enough to warrant longer airplay. The quick cuts from song to song leave the listener wanting more, which might be good on television but is a little disheartening on a record like this one.
Having said that, "Bitter Poem" leaves the album sounding satisfyingly complete. Cold War Kids have woven together alt-rock gold with "Dear Miss Lonelyhearts."
Reach the reporter at svhabib@asu.edu
