Naive Appeal, The Kooks. (Oh, Bad Pun.)
July 7, 2007
Quick Background:
The Kooks are an indie band from Brighton, England. Currently, the band is composed of four members.
Luke Pritchard: vocals and guitar
Hugh Harris: back up vocals and guitar
Max Rafferty: bass
Paul Garred: drums
Their debut album, Inside In/Inside Out, was released in October of 2006.
I love The Kooks
Reasons:
- They have fun and don’t take themselves to seriously.
- They can be light and still have meaning to their songs without being preachy.
- They’re an easy listen. You can put on The Kooks and just chill, mellow out.
- There’s something in their sound for everyone, it varies from song to song.
- The Kooks are blast the radio in your car friendly.
- Since it’s the summer, they are the perfect beach/summer band
- They’re sexual without being obnoxiously crude. There’s funny obnoxiously crude (See The Bloodhound Gang) and then there’s OBNOXIOUS obnoxiously crude. (See Nickelback.) And then there’s just giggle-worthy sexual that you smile at and shake your head to the beat. And therein lay The Kooks.
- Accents rock.
- The guitar in their songs just gets me. It’s perky. A girl gets tired of deep, melancholy and/or thrumming sometimes.
- Mostly it’s just the accents. I’m not gonna lie. I have the ability to be shallow.
Here’s where the bitching starts:
I haven’t been able to see them in concert yet, which is enormously disappointing. It’s such a good concert summer around here, and yet the Kooks have not made an appearance. Where are you, boys?! Come and visit.
Naïve is overplayed. The first time I heard it on the radio, I squealed and went “OH, NAÏVE! LOVE THE KOOKS!” and blasted it.
The thirtieth time I heard it, I went “Jesus, I won’t be able to listen to this on album anymore.”
I am however, glad that they’re getting some exposure. The Kooks aren’t a band that would mainstream and make me irritated. Their first album was a hit, so it’s only natural that they be big. Their sound has a broad appeal and even hardened metal/punk/oddity lovers such as myself enjoy them. They were never an underground with a dedicated following, instead right off the bat they were signed to Virgin Records. You know a pop/indie band is good when they’re just rockin’ enough for me to enjoy them but still fluffy enough for everyone else to enjoy them as well. The boys from Brighton rock, so pick up the album. Inside In/Inside Out.
Plus, like I said? Not gonna lie, the accents are a big bit of their likeability. Great lyrics just sound better when there’s an accent involved. It gives the words a different lilt that allows for language that shouldn’t sound good together to mesh perfectly.
And also the song She Moves In Her Own Way has maraca on it, and you can’t use maraca in a song and not be totally fucking awesome. The Kooks make me smile.
