Customer Reviews:

• A Complete 180 from Robbers and Cowards... But still Good...
  I have been a big fan of this band ever since Robbers and Cowards. This new cd is not very similar to the cd that put them on the map though. It is a lot slower moving, but this is not a bad thing. I highly recommend listening to this cd though, because there is something for everyone on it. Their single, "Something is Not Right With Me" has somewhat of a punk beat going for it, whereas songs like "Golden Gate Jumpers" and "Avalanche in B" are slow, but very well crafted. Tracks 2-5 are quite catchy and fast (like Robbers and Cowards), whereas track 1 and 6-13 sound quite different than anything heard from this band before. It is definitely a good cd for anyone trying to get in to this style of music, but not if you are trying to get in to this band. For that, go see them live, it will blow your mind......more info
• Cold War Kids sophomore slump
  First things first, I am a huge Cold War Kids fan and I was so excited about this album. Their first album Robbers and Cowards was absolutely brilliant. Song after song was catchy and made you want to hear more. Loyalty to Loyalty however is a HUGE letdown. The album is basically soft lounge piano music. I kept waiting and waiting for it to pick up but it never did. I have only listened to it once, so maybe this rating can change, but as of now this album is a major flop. No idea what they were thinking when they sat down and said this is the best stuff we have!...more info
• Great second coming from the Cold War Men
  If you've heard Cold War Kids' debut, "Robbers & Cowards", you'd probably agree that despite key tracks such as "We Used To Vacation", "Hang Me Up To Dry" or even "Hospital Beds" and an overall seductive energy, its full length listening was somewhat irritating, mainly due to their singer Nathan Willett's off-key, even mournful at times, falsetto.
  
  Well, it's more of the same on this second effort, except that this time you won't run to the skip button after 30 seconds of any track; the whole mood is rather more downbeat, dare I say soulful, and this time around they have enough good songs (greatness is even overwhelming here on at least four of the 13 tracks) to make a full album, where their debut could (should ?) have been an awesome EP. The piano hard-chords and the guitar twists collide more gracefully, and a few of the vocals even recall the late and great Jeff Buckley, in a far rawer mode for sure.
  
  Highlights ? Well, opener "Against Privacy" sets the mood for most of the album, before "Mexican Dogs" provides a soul-rock anthem of epic proportions. First single, the aptly-titled "Something Is Not Right With Me", melts an almost disco bassline with Willett's sensible roars over an increasing intense backbeat. This should be a hit, but not in The Jonas Brothers' sense for sure... Still, the most rewarding efforts here are when CWKs slow down a bit, to let their truly original musicianship take control of their (and our) senses: "Every Man I Fall For", "Dreams Old Men Dream" (which sounds almost like a harsher, punkier U2 'circa "Boy") and "On The Night My Love Broke Through" (all in one go) form an intense and quite inspiring suite of songs most bands of their generation would kill for (and older ones too, at that).
  
  If you're looking for a truly original noisy-pop band that manages to pull out accurately its passion, anger and emotive skills, and to brilliantly wrap great music at that around them on one single piece of plastic, "Loyalty To Loyalty" provides all of this and more.
  
  Highly recommended....more info
• A COMPLETE album.. and a very good one
  Loyalty to Loyalty is a very worthy follow-up to Robbers and Cowards in every way. It might take one or two listens to fully appreciate, but it is filled with great songs all the way through. Relief, 'hidden' at track 12, is potentially the best song on the album. The consensus as everyone's favorite seems to be "I've Seen Enough."
  
  The low critical and fan reviews really are surprising to me. The Cold War Kids make some of the freshest and most enjoyable music that I've heard in the past ten years, along with The Mars Volta, Modest Mouse, and Band of Horses.
  
  My review can't do this album justice. If you enjoy the Cold War Kids' sound, rest assured that Loyalty to Loyalty won't disappoint, and will provide maximum replay-ability.
  ...more info
• headscratcher
  I love Robbers & Cowards, so I was excited to pick this up. After I listened to this for the first time I remember staring at the screen confused. I tried to tell my friend about it afterwards, but I just could not really describe it, let alone whether I liked it or not. Now after a few more times listening to it, and trying to understand it better, I think I can.
  
  Loyalty to Loyalty is nothing like Robbers & Cowards on the first listen. There is absolutely no flow between songs, there is no energy (other than on something is not right with me), it's very artsy, and it just doesn't reach out to the listener at all, but if you have some patience and sit through it a few times, it really grows on you. Willet's vocals are great, and really stand out. They sometimes drown out the rest of the music, but it isn't too big of an issue, it seems like the focus is on his lyrics, voice, and message rather than some of the cool parts that the guitar and bass had on songs like Hang me up to Dry off their last album. There is a lot of piano, and the whole album is toned down quite a bit. It's one of those albums you throw on in the morning or right before going to bed.
  
  You can tell that they've developed quite a bit musically in the last two years, but it's almost like they don't want to admit it. Instead of letting a lot of songs develop as you would think they would, they try and bring the charm from the first album back making it feel somewhat awkward. A good example of that is Golden Gate Jumpers. But who knows, maybe that push and pull is part of the reason this album works. This review might seem overly negative, but it's because everything I don't like about this album is what I love about it. There's not enough focus on the music behind the lyrics but I love the vocals. It doesn't flow well but that makes each track stand out better. Anything you could think of about this album, it's kind of the same story. Just give it time, and be in the right mood, you'll be surprised at how Loyalty to Loyalty hits you....more info
• huh? *edit* I was to quick to judge.....give it a chance.
  If the only reason you bought the album was because you liked the first and expected this one to be even better than you will be disappointed.
  Nathan tends to trail off into his own vocal day dream which often does not flatter his voice or the music. He has pretty good vocal range although its not apparent on this album, his voice has the ability to either make you melt or make you cringe because he just doesn't hit the note quite right. I cringed more than anything. None of the songs seemed personable either, on the last album I could relate to almost every track, not so much with this one. The songs seemed like inside jokes, stories they experienced on the road or were either made up by the guys. I couldn't relate to any of them, maybe Im just not a good critical thinker, or maybe I was just over thinking things a bit. O well. I would not recommend this album although I would def. recommend anyone to go see a live performance.
  
  *EDIT*
  
  After listening to the album again today I must say it is growing on me. I was in a more mellow mood this time around and the album was perfect for that. I guess it just takes a while to grow on you, although some of the vocals are a still a bit hard to listen too. I guess I would recommend this album to loyal cwk's fans after all.
  The only advice I can give you is to let it grow on you and do not expect the songs to flow together because they don't....more info
• Cold War Kids - Loyalty to Loyalty 6/10
  Indie rock derived from the back roads of some of the best Americana music tradition is not a particularly new idea nowadays, as bands struggle to try to outdo each other with a sound that hasn't hit it big yet. The National, Band of Horses, Midlake, dozens of bands are lining up for a swing at that big `ole `70s bluesy sound. Luckily for Fullerton, CA band Cold War Kids, they've already made a name for themselves with 2006's critically acclaimed Robbers & Cowards, a vibrant piece of indie rock that incorporated the best of old-school blues and backwoods country rock. The Kids wade in even deeper on Loyalty to Loyalty, and while much of this sophomore effort captures the urgency of their debut, at times the Kids drag rather than kick things up.
  
  Singer Nathan Willett is a big reason for the band's appeal, a divisive vocalist with a raw, less trained Jeff Buckley-ish set of pipes and a penchant for preaching. But just as he uplifts some of Loyalty's best songs with a raspy passion on the down `n dirty "Mexican Dogs" or with smart lyrics on the thumping drums and sexy rhythm of "I've Seen Enough," his voice can turn from interesting and fresh to grating and intolerable with just a few misplaced falsettos. Single "Something Is Not Right With Me," although musically spot-on, is derailed by Willett's ranting shouts, while the band's decision to lift Willett's vocals way above everything else on the much-too-slow "Avalanche B" and the otherwise catchy "I've Seen Enough" make one wish Willett took more lessons.
  
  The rest of the band is as on top of their style as ever before, cranking out track after track of irrepressibly bluesy, bar band-esque rockers that roar along on menacing guitar ("Mexican Dogs") or lilting, jazzy piano melodies ("Every Valley Is Not A Lake"). And while closing songs like "Relief" collapse under the weight of their own pretensions and Willett's howling, a tasteful mood piece like "Golden Gate Jumpers," with one of the record's best lyrics and melodies, remind one why Cold War Kids became famous in the first place....more info