05.

Cold War Kids

Mine Is Yours

Always a class act, Cold War Kids have again delivered with a wonderful album of mature blues-rock. Looking back, I’ve noticed that I wrote in 2007, with regard to their debut, Robbers and Cowards (2nd that year), that it was “[a]n album that always makes me think and feel, every time it’s played.” This is also a perfect way of expressing my feelings for their third record four years later. More than any other record this year, Mine Is Yours makes me feel. ‘Louder Than Ever’ always makes me happy, in spite of the morose lyrics, while the very next track – ‘Royal Blue’ – always makes me sad. Cold War Kids are, as ever, both passionate and cerebral on Mine Is Yours. They also again offer an impressive mixture of simplicity and technical proficiency: most tracks here rely on simple refrains (the piano-backbone of ‘Sensitive Kid’ is a prime example), but on occasion the record breaks out into technical brilliance (just take the drumming on ‘Out of The Wilderness’ as one example). Perhaps the only weakness on the record is ‘Bulldozer’, which seems a little rushed when compared to the other tracks. It’s still a good song, but the obvious low point of an album of notable highs. Overall, Mine Is Yours is a great example of how less can be more and, as it were, more can also be more: everything is about getting the right balance to suit the song. Top notch in almost every way, and another absolute must have.