Inside In/Inside Out

Very rarely does Leah get excited about an album. Somehow, she got turned onto INSIDE IN/INSIDE OUT by British rockers The Kooks--and she fell in love. It's not hard to understand why, one listen is all it take to reel you in. The Kooks are bit like recent media darling James Blunt (well only a little bit, they're British and use acoustic guitars so it's easy I guess to draw comparisons, The Kooks are actually superior in my opinion).

Album opener "Seaside" is a quiet, sad little ditty...and it sets you up for a shock when the second track "See the World" suddenly blasts forward. This is an "electric" album that has a distinctive acoustic feel.

The band has a very unusual songwriting style, it goes a little something like this: opening chords, first verse, 180 degree change in the chorus, (repeat). Pretty soon listeners begin to detect the pattern. My first experience with these songs went something like this: "Alright, this song is a bit slow...maybe a bit boring...oh shit, that's an awesome hook they have in the chorus...wow...this is a great song."

They're actually all really great songs, and most of them feature this intricate, maze-like structure. All you have to do to like a Kooks song is basically wait about 45 seconds for the chorus to start, then all the pieces fall into place, and you love it. Currently the single the band is pushing is "Naive," but frankly any of these songs could work as possible radio friendly songs. My personal favorites have the most unusual names: "Eddie's Gun," "Jackie Big Tits," and the brilliantly addictive "Ooh La" (which features the lyrical hook "ooh La!").

The songs are dark, but not really downers (the love songs tend to lean more toward "come back to me" rather than "she loves you and you know that can't be bad"). Hell, they have a song titled "You Don't Love Me," but it's never a 'make-you-want-to-jump-off-a-bridge' type record. Speaking of The Beatles, they're a ghost that haunts all British rock bands--The Kooks are no exception. Listen to the jangly guitars on "Ooh La!" or the shaking tambourines on pretty much the whole album...yep, that's REVOLVER-era Beatles. "She Moves in Her Own Way" almost has a soft-reggae feel to it (and it has a perfect chorus).

Even the album's weakest track, "Matchbox" is good, with it's fast paced guitar noodling (thought without a really glaringly memorable hook it stands out like a sore thumb on this record). No, the biggest problem I have with INSIDE IN/INSIDE OUT is it's length. Fifteen tracks...with a running time of 44 minutes? Over half the tracks clock in at less than three minutes. This minor defect aside (it's always good leaving 'em wanting more) this is the best record I've heard all year. The Kooks are a great new band, and I suspect they are a fantastic live act (after all, the entire record is pretty much guitar, bass, drums...nothing fancy (other than feedback)). I can't wait for the next record.

Jason gives INSIDE IN/INSIDE OUT an A++