Customer Reviews

Konk [Vinyl]

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Brighton's Kooks sneakily sold two million copies of their debut album, "Inside In/Inside Out".

Their breezy indie pop was an unchallenging pleasure, but it was obvious they wished to be taken more seriously.

Their solution here is to keep the tunes and beef up the electric guitars, which works fine on "Down to the Marke"t and the energetic single "Always Where I Need to Be", though Luke Pritchard's smooth voice frequently strains towards aggression and falls short.

Simplistic lyrics (he endlessly asks, "Do you wanna make love to me?" on Do "You Wanna", and even sings the alphabet on "One Last Time") fail to give the depth the band strive for. They're still catchy, but greater significance eludes them.

Whatever you thought of their first album, "Inside In/Inside Out", prepare to think the same of "Konk".

If you liked it, this is as cute, chirpy and unpretentious; if you didn't, this is as bland, repetitive and unoriginal.

They haven't changed a bit.

"See the Sun" (fast indie-lite jangle) and "Sway" (slow indie-lite jangle) are the likeliest hits.

The good thing about the Kooks is they try to make each song catchy enough to be a single.

..."Konk" is not without its accomplishments, but it lacks the drive and far more importantly, the anthemic qualities of their debut.

It's too early to count them out, but they'll need to try harder with album number three".BBC

Inside In/Inside Out
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

I'm not gonna lie. Everything the Kooks have done has been done before. They take stride from the Strokes, the White Stripes, and the Hives. At best I can say that Luke is a distinctly unique singer with both a soft croon and an annoying yelp for a voice. He also has british written all over him. Some bands, including the Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian, have attacked the Kooks for their fashion sense and sense of success. Kasabian even said they play songs for girls. I can't completely argue, they are soft and sensitive at points, but at others they are angry brit youths. Inside In/Inside Out was a spotty release, with some brilliant moments and others forgettable. This can be the same, with Konk losing steam at the end, but over half the album is quite impressive. mr. Maker and Gap are the most impressive moments in my mind, but nobody can deny the talent lying behind the Kooks. They won't change the world as the Strokes have just yet, but they are brimming with potential. And they really are quite catchy. And that's good enough for now.

The Kooks have delivered a great follow up to their impressive debut Inside In/Inside Out. Named after and recorded at the famous studio owned by The Kinks' Ray Davies, they don't re-invent the wheel or try to go for a completely different sound, and it paid off in spades. I have listened to the album about 5 times all the way through and it keeps getting better. The immediate stand outs are: Always Where I Need To Be, Mr. Maker, Do You Wanna, and Sway. These are the songs that will either be singles (always where i need to be already is), or fan favorites. The 2nd tier of songs are: See The Sun, Gap, Love it All, and Tick of Time. These are the songs that are somewhat forgettable the first time through, and then grow on you the more you hear them. There is also a hidden track at the end that is one of the better songs on the album. These guys aren't going to change the world with Konk, but these days, who really is? They write catchy, acoustic driven pop rock songs better than anyone right now and that's what they are all about. With the release of Konk, I hope The Kooks gets more recognition over here in the states than their stellar debut Inside In/Inside Out yielded them. If you loved or liked their first record, go pick this up, listen to it 5 times through, and thank me later. Enjoy.

Let me get this out of the way first; this album isn't as good as their brilliant debut "Inside in/inside out" (nothing here matches "Ooh la", "Naive" or even "I want you back"), but it's still rather good.

The first few times I listened to it, only 2 or 3 songs grabbed me and luckily I didn't write my review then. The album sounded more restrained and not as immediate (it still is) than their debut but it's grown on me.

Lead vocalist Luke Pritchard has a distinctive yelp of a voice which I quite like. The brilliant stomping dance/rock "Do you wanna" (with nice shimmery synths) reminds one of Franz Ferdinand and gets me bopping (his wailing at the end is priceless).

Things are definitely calmer and slower this time around, and they've mostly ditched the Ska influences which I loved. Despite this, the gentle "Gap" (with a groovy bassline) is another standout, as is the sunny clap-filled "Mr Maker" (which could fit into their debut).

Other good songs are the swaying "Stormy weather", the jangly ballad "Sway" (excellent guitar work, reminds me a bit of "I want you back"), the swinging but gentle retro sounding "Shine on", the bouncy faintly Ska-tinged "Down to the market", the acoustic "One last time" (with awesome howling for a chorus, another favourite of mine), the Folk-ish clowning around of "Tick of time" (with a Ska feel), and the hidden acoustic ballad "All over town".

I'm glad I gave this CD another chance as I was pleasantly surprised by its charm. This should prove just or almost as successful as their debut (it hit #1 in the UK). Looking forward to album #3.

The Kooks are a band which I only found about very recently, and so it was only a few weeks after hearing their phenomenal debut that I was able to hear this brand new album as well. Although Konk comes just a bit short of the quality of The Kooks' first album, there are still plenty of catchy tracks and admirably structured melodies not far from the style of Arctic Monkeys (as another reviewer stated) or Kaiser Chiefs. Some songs on the CD have a somewhat classic rock-reminiscent vibe such as the especially memorable "Mr. Maker", while others are simply straightforward, upbeat pieces lovable for their groove and bouncy lyrics which get stuck in your head in a non-irritating fashion (the track "Do You Wanna" is perhaps the most applicable example of this trait). Overall, this CD is a very commendable altrock release and definitely among my favorite discs of the year thus far. I would rate it somewhere in between 4 and 4 1/2 stars, and would recommend to it to fans of the debut as well as altrock or British rock fans in general.

This album is phenomenal. The Kooks have spunk and raunchiness that is seldom heard in rock today. It's a throwback to the early sounds of the Kinks, The Beatles, and The Who, with a modern twist. The guitars are raw, the songs are catchy, and you can't resist tapping your foot or dancing uncontrollably.

I am a big fan of the first album, first off, so my review is slightly biased. The album isn't quite as good as the first, but there's something there that makes me like it ...A LOT!

The new album goes a little more electric, making the Kooks stray from the acoustic indie rock that really made them famous on Inside In/Inside Out. ...But don't let that get you down. They definitely make up for it with their great hooks and songwriting abilities. I love their upbeat songs. The stand out songs seem to be Always Where I Need To Be, Mr. Maker, Sway, and Down To The Market.

The bonus disc, entitled RAK, is a great addition, especially for only a couple of bucks more. It has some really good "B-Sides" and demos on it, but the songs didn't go with the actual album (So I guess it's a good thing they didn't include them on there). It showcases some really good stuff.

I hope this review helps. I can't wait to see what they can do with this album when I see them live this summer.

An amazing album and every song is excellent. The Kooks really did a good job with this one. See them live! They ROCK!!
In a MTV music era of heartless and talentless crap you gotta give props to the homies in England for keeping it real.

Good Rock kinda pop but I say that in a good way. They aren't screaming at you.

As with everything else in life its just a matter of opinions either if we like something or not. I only say this after reading the other reviews for this album.
To my the most important thing at the time of rating an album, is that it has to be playable without skipping a song and without bothering the audience, something in which the lows are unnoticed and the highlights are when everybody asks he I like this song! who sings it?

To me this album fits the description nicely, The kooks of course don't have a new sound or something fresh to your ears if you are looking for that you are in the wrong category buddy and you will be better searching for some experimental releases. This albums has a great brit rock/pop sound more of the greatness we are used to and we are looking for. The sound is really good the album has a good mixing and the selection of songs is pretty strong. The last songs in the album are more into a mellow acoustic sound which to me is already a difference from this album compared to others.

My favorite songs are shine on, Mr. maker, Love it all, One last time, Tick of time.

You wont be disappointed.