Upon strolling out of Cold War Kids' show at The Granada, there was one question that stuck with me. Only one. And it was weird. Why did the band's bassist, Matt Maust, keep kicking singer Nathan Willett? Seriously. Fellow crowd members, did you notice this?
Perhaps "nudge" is a better term than "kick." Throughout the Cold War Kids' lukewarm set in Lawrence last night, Maust would periodically lift his foot off the ground to touch Willett, whether he was behind the mic, strumming his guitar or pounding the keys. It was one of the stranger, more memorable moments in a set that wasn't particularly remarkable from the L.A. band.
The Granada felt like a jungle in Jamaica: steamy, sweaty and full of bouncing reggae beats. The theater was near capacity, full of baby alt kids and their older counterparts. I arrived at the venue shortly after 8:30 p.m., which apparently was too late to catch Chicago openers A Lull. (Sorry, guys.)
The Cold War Kids took the stage promptly at 9:10 p.m., greeting the crowd with a curt hello before launching into "Royal Blue," a song off the band's newest release, Mine Is Yours. The song was a chunk of perfectly likable alternative rock with a hint of soul -- comparable to the Kings of Leon, maybe, or perhaps a ballsy Keane. And so was the song after that. And the one after that, too. Somehow, the first several songs that Cold War Kids trotted out didn't leave a distinct impression, though they conformed to the formula that, by all rights, composes most radio hits. There simply was some intangible quality that just wasn't jiving.
"There's a lot of marijuana in the air," said Nathan Willett, the band's lead singer. He was right. (There wasn't really much need for a smoke machine, after all.) "I hope that's going to work with my antibiotics," he said. "Marijuana!!!!" A crowd member shrieked in response.
"Welcome to the Occupation," off 2008's Loyalty to Loyalty, showcased a rumbling bass line that gave Cold War Kids the screeching edge that fans of the band's early records -- Loyalty to Loyalty and Robbers and Cowards -- recognized. "Mexican Dogs," another older cut, had Willett pouring out a bluesy, chaotic howl that reached a Jack White-like snarl. Willett gestured with his left hand absently, like the dude at the end of the bar, signaling for one last drunken round (awesome).
Heads bobbed, a devilish red light filled the room, and Willett pounded away at the organ in a hellish dissonance. It sounded like a roadhouse church conversion: all wiry edges, soulful warbling vocals and chaos. It rendered all of the soft, melodic, derivative material that the band pulled out at the beginning of the show -- and many other times later on in the night -- completely void. This is where Cold War Kids hit its stride, and this is what kind of music they should be making. It's simply too good of a band to be doing anything else.
Of course, you can't stifle Willet's uniquely imprinted voice, but when you see what great lengths it can go to in the band's bluesy, grungy numbers, the new cuts from Mine Is Yours begin to sound like go-get-a-beer filler material. It's completely possible that I was the only fan in the crowd feeling this way, however; plenty of kids mouthed every word along with the band on Mine Is Yours tunes, like "Louder Than Ever" and "Flying Upside Down."
"Hang Me Out to Dry," one of Cold War Kids' most famous songs, showed signs of the skittering abandon that marks the recorded track, but a mushy, bass-heavy mix mired down the band's sound, making the track seem lifeless. "Hospital," another crowd favorite, suffered a similar fate, with a buzzing low end, muted piano and strange slow-motion drumming. None of this phased the packed crowd at all, though; for every two people standing still, there was one teenage girl who was ecstatically screaming, and another plaid-donning kid attempting to crowd-surf. (Different strokes for different folks, I guess.)
At the end of the show, there was one question that transcended all of Cold War Kids' songs in my mind, however: Why nudge the singer with your shoe, Matt Maust? Why?
Perhaps I'll never know.
Critics' Bias: I prefer skittering, chaotic rock to melodicall -driven radio ballads any day.
Critics' Notebook: "My jeans are buzzing on my shins with bass -- not in a good way."
Overheard in the Crowd: From a teenage girl wearing pearls to the band's lead singer: "I love you!!!!!!!!!!"
Rough Set List:
Royal Blue
Welcome to the Occupation
Mexican Dogs
Skip the Charades
Hang Me Out To Dry
Every Man I Fall For
Relief
Louder Than Ever
Cold Toes on the Cold Floor
Bulldozer
Santa Ana Winds
Hospital
Flying Upside Down
Encore:
I've Seen Enough
We Used to Vacation
St. John
Showing 1-5 of 5
Pretty spot on review. The newer songs just seemed stiff and boring. I noticed the Maust thing as well, in fact at one point, when Nathan was on keys, he smacked him in the back of the head... pretty dang hard. WTF?
You missed out on A Lull. Only caught 2 songs but well worth the 45 min drive from KC. They will be at Middle of the Map Fest in April.
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