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Konk
Konk -
Track Listing
| See The Sun Always Where I Need To Be Mr. Maker Do ya wanna Gap Love It All Stormy Weather Sway Shine On Down To The Market One Last Time Tick Of Time All Over Town |
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Brief Review
The follow-up to the hugely successful debut album will surely appeal to the loyal Brighton-based group's fan base but the lack of unique stand-out tracks make the album a bland blur from start to finish with the majority of tracks sounding too similar to their previous work and you can't help but feel that The Kooks have just been a one hit wonder.
Full Review
The second album from The Kooks, bizarrely named 'Konk' is very hit or miss. The majority of tracks found here and nothing substantial enough to become classics but are good listening at the time. The biggest problem with the CD is the lack of vocal differences from the singer. All the songs sound very similar which is the biggest problem this album and the group faces 2 years down the line.
The CD starts out and really sets the tone for the rest of the album with a bland, mediocre track 'See the sun'. A good beat and guitar solo isn't enough to save this song as the lyrics sound inconsistent with the beat, not sticking in time with the rhythm.
Following this is 'Always where I need to be' which, in my opinion, is the catchiest song on the album but unfortunately is also the shortest. The track has the same commercial appeal as 'She moves in her own way' and 'Naive' with a catchy hook and melody and a relatively quick tempo and a fun, bouncy mood to it.
'Mr Maker' shifts the tempo down a notch for another strong stand-out track on the album which, in my opinion, isn't placed well on the tracklisting as after this song you may find yourself skipping through a lot of the other tracks. The lyrics are top-notch and is an excellent example of what a band can do when they find their comfort zone. The beat is laid-back but at the same time maintains The Kooks' trademark bouncy, catchy feel to it.
The Kooks then try something completely different with 'Do you wanna'; changing the mood of the album slightly with a heavier hook and darker tone. In my opinion, the track really doesn't fit well with the mood of the rest of the album and makes the track listing and song choice seem slightly sloppy.
'Gap' swings back to the bouncy, laid-back feel of the album with mediocre vocals that come across, in my opinion, as almost whiny during the verses. The chorus is good and there is a good use of percussion here but nothing that really makes this track stand out.
'Love it all' is one of the slowest songs on the album, almost sounding acoustic with slow verses and a fairly catchy melody with a typical 'lighters in the air' feel to it. Apart from the melody, the beat sounds slightly strange with weird guitar beeps throughout, almost as if the band were sound-testing the guitar during this song.
The next track 'Stormy weather' maintains the fast-paced tempo of the CD with a wicked guitar solo being the only noticeable part of the track to point out in my opinion.
'Sway' tries to grab your attention with a slow beat and a relaxed, chilled tone. Unfortunately, the chorus doesn't seem to add anything to the song with the vocal tones almost making you want to cringe as the lead vocalist attempts to scream the notes. Not one to remember in my opinion.
'Shine On' is another of those tracks that make you nod your head with another catchy chorus. The Kooks' talent comes in the ability to whip up any chorus to be something that's memorable and relentlessly forcing you to have it stuck in your head for weeks and weeks. The beat is also typical Kooks style but the main factor of this song is the chorus.
The shortest song on the CD, 'Down to the market', is a track that falls directly into the average category after a promising hook to start the track with. The lyrics are very average, I'm almost going so far as to say they're poor. The chorus is arguably the worst out of all the tracks on the album.
The second shortest song on the album 'One Last Time' boasts the most recognizable bassline, being the only song on the CD that uses anything other than a guitar. The track features echoed vocal tones of 'ooo' in the background. Other than this, 'One last time' fails to impress on any scale with yet another bland use of vocals and lyrical content.
The acoustic tracks 'All over town' and 'Tick of time' are two tracks that blend together in a mesh of mediocrity. The lyrics are average at best, with the most ironic song coming in 'All over town'. The lyrics "you're no poet man, you just want everyone looking at you" seems to sum up the Kooks second attempt at an album in a nutshell. The mixing on 'Tick of time' seems rushed and awkward which does nothing to help the promising bands' album.
At the end of the second album from the Kooks I was left very disappointed. The media hype seems, in my opinion, too soon and rushed after this album. The mixing on 'Tick of time' is near awful and many of the tracks just seem almost boring to listen to. The group seem to me that they were a one hit wonder and tried too hard to meet the deadline of getting the album out as quick as possible with no real thought to track placing or what songs to put on the album, 'Do you wanna' being the most obvious flaw in the album with a completely different tone to the rest of the CD.
Having said that, there are glimpses of brilliance on this CD with 'Always Where I Need To Be' being the one track on the album that really shines. The group aren't diverse enough in my opinion and the vocal talents of the lead singer becoming almost boring to listen to by the end of the album.
The group would work best with a second singer along with the lead to add an extra layer to their songs which could help to elevate the group to a higher level. Whatever happens, this album is definately not one to be remembered for very long!
