 |
  
 
 |
|
Cold War Kids
|
HQ: Long Beach, CA NOW PLAYING: Robbers & Cowards (DOWNTOWN RECORDS; downtownrecordings.com) THE STORY SO FAR: In 2004, Nathan Willett and three pals holed up in a space above an Italian restaurant in Fullerton, California, and began creating music that's one part indie-rock-cool and one part saloon-soul-stomp. They toured (a lot). Internet buzz built and self-released EPs surfaced. They ended up onstage at Lollapalooza. Major labels called, but they turned them all down to sign with an indie-the home of Gnarls Barkley and the Eagles Of Death Metal, no less. Thus, they are the coolest band since the last coolest band. "There was definitely a point when we had to ask, 'Are we seriously going to make something real out of what we're doing for fun?,'" says singer/piano-pounder Willett. "It's been moving at a fast pace, but it's our pace, so we don't know any different." WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW 'EM: On their debut, Robbers & Cowards, CWK take a kitchen-sink approach-changing up song tempos, throwing in herky-jerky jams, the occasional blues piano and often a strange character pulled from the Tom Waits School of Storytelling. Live, things get even groovier. Band members bound about the stage, the crowd sings along-loudly-and it's clear the guys still do it all for fun. "When we started, we never thought we'd even get an album out," says Willett. "Everything else is icing." - JR Griffin YOU LIKE? YOU'LL LIKE: THE WALKMEN / THE ARCADE FIRE / PAVEMENT |
Post a Comment