The Kooks - Konk

3.0/5
The Kooks made a splash in the UK with their debut album Inside In/Inside Out, full of poppy hooks, best displayed in "Naive". Their new album follows very much the same formula, but even more polished...and to me, that's not a good thing. The album is very formulaic and unoriginal. The songs sound very much the same and I was definitely bored by the end of the predictable ride. That's not to say that the predictable ride was particularly bad. "See the Sun" is a great opener. "Always Where I Need to Be", the album's first single, is as catchy as it gets. "Gap" has an incredible guitar lick. "Shine On" is a sweet and simple pop song. "One Last Time" is a heartful tune that will certainly resonate with many (even though one of the lyrics is just ridiculous..you'll know which one when you hear it). And "Tick of Time" is a laid-back, spur-of-the-moment gem. But tracks like "Love it All" are boring and "Do You Wanna" is just plain stupid. Hugh Harris's guitar work is amazing and Luke Pritchard's vocals are mature, but may get old after a while. Hopefully they will put their talents to better and more creative work in the future.