COLD WAR KIDS Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Cold War Kids have grown up since their formative, blues-driven, pith-filled days. Times have also changed in those years. Less Kids, more matured troupe, "New Age Norms 1" is their most mainstream and accessible to date, but that's only positioning them as a troupe to be treasured by all, rather than pale shades of what once was. A strong pop album from a liquor-soaked rock 'n' roll outfit, "Complainer" and "Calm Your Nerves" soar with stadium-filling power. "Waiting For Your Love" and "4th Of July" venture towards guitar-driven disco. "Fine Fine Fine" gallops like a piano and six-string-fuelled runaway train, invoking Elton John's more frenzied moments. It's not all uptempo, mind. Some of the Kids' finest work has always been their most vulnerable. And it's arguably the same situation here, with "Beyond The Pale" acting as tender, heartfelt counterbalance.

Review: Cold War Kids have grown up since their formative, blues-driven, pith-filled days. Times have also changed in those years. Less Kids, more matured troupe, "New Age Norms 1" is their most mainstream and accessible to date, but that's only positioning them as a troupe to be treasured by all, rather than pale shades of what once was. A strong pop album from a liquor-soaked rock 'n' roll outfit, "Complainer" and "Calm Your Nerves" soar with stadium-filling power. "Waiting For Your Love" and "4th Of July" venture towards guitar-driven disco. "Fine Fine Fine" gallops like a piano and six-string-fuelled runaway train, invoking Elton John's more frenzied moments. It's not all uptempo, mind. Some of the Kids' finest work has always been their most vulnerable. And it's arguably the same situation here, with "Beyond The Pale" acting as tender, heartfelt counterbalance.