Album Review : The Kooks - Junk Of The Heart

I’m going to openly begin by saying this album is probably the most disappointing album I have heard in 2011. The Kooks first album ‘Inside In/Inside Out’ was a tide changer among the indie scene paving the way for more then a handful of now successful bands adding to that going 4x Platinum. Second album ‘Konk’ left the stables and finished the race with sing-a-long choruses and enough melody to make you sway at a sunshine drenched festival, Then ‘Junk Of The Heart’.

Those fans of The Kooks will know ‘Inside In/Inside Out’ and ‘Konk’ both open slow and gentle, an ease into the another 40 plus minutes is respectable though title track ‘Junk Of The Heart (Happy)’ opens brash and bizarre. Pritchard’s lyrics ‘I wanna make you happy’ are careless and continuous until verse and repeated over until fade. Open piano chords to second track ‘How’d You Like That’ could be mistaken for The Feelings ‘Fill My Little World’ and I would much rather be listening to that.

‘Rosie’ is moody and cites likens to second album Kooks and once again disappoints into chorus, it disheartens me that a talented lyricist can aimlessly reiterate words without effort and hope for it to be accepted. Album teaser ‘Saboteur’ is a distant confident memory that the band had moved forward not so far from the finish line. ‘Taking Pictures Of You’ is ‘Junk Of The Hearts’ ‘Ooh La’ but only if you imagined it as Rosie Huntington-Whiteley having a Dorian Gray type painting in her loft showing her looking like Judy Finnigan.

Next track ‘Fuck The World Off’ certainly hit’s the nail square on the head followed by toilet written ‘Time Above The Earth’, some might say music’s greatest moments come from the most unusual places but an obviously disillusioned Luke Prichard has stolen the background  music from The Beatles ’Pepperland’ and fingered his own faeces over it, Who knows what else he did in there. ‘Runaway’ once again hit’s the proverbial multiple nails on the head with what sounds like a tin can being rattled in the background.

Single release ‘Is It Me’ could be the only glimmer of hope from such a dire showing of musical ability as we move closer to the end of the album, Guitars replica those of hit ‘Always Where I Need To Be’ but with stronger vocal presence but still lyrically weak. ‘Killing Me’ sounds like parts have been stolen from Toto’s hit ‘Africa’ and screams album filler from start to finish. ‘Petulia’ is stripped down to the bare essentials and could be the only positive to take away, Pritchard’s vocals are now more clearer, with less mumble and more man than boy. My favourite track from the album (Yes, I have one) ‘Eskimo Kiss’ shows if anything the only promise to something that there is still hope, Closing track ‘Mr Nice Guy’ ends abruptly and offends the ears.

I can only hope that after this abysmal release there record label may give them a saving grace to release a 4th, it begs the question once again ‘If it isn’t broke, Why try and break it’. Take your own advice Luke ‘Time awaits for no man, But you’.