I Fell In Love At The Seaside (Inside In The Inside Out - Kooks)

Member Name: rleigh

Product:	Inside In The Inside Out - Kooks
Date:	05/02/08 (95 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The album is full of highlights.

Disadvantages: Some of the tracks are a little lacklustre.

The Kooks formed in 2004 whilst at the Brighton Institute of Modern Music where they were all students. The band were signed instantly to Virgin Records after playing and impressing at Brighton's Free Butt Festival. Their fourteen track 'Inside In/Inside Out' album was consequently released in January 2006, an album from which six Top 40 singles were released. The bands most commercially successful single to date has been 'Naïve', a track which hit a high of Number 5 in the Official UK Chart. The single actually turned out to be the 19th best selling single of 2006, a true testament to the strength of this release.

The first time I came to know of The Kooks was when I saw them supporting The Subways at Brixton Academy. I didn't really think much of them, and whilst a friend of mine had seen a music video of theirs on MTV2 the previous week and seemed mildly impressed with their performance, I found them to be a bit bland and paid little notice to their set. A few months down the line and I discovered their 'Inside In/Inside Out' album; an album I was actually quite impressed with to tell you the truth. Whilst there are some tracks that are a little less catchy than others, most of the music is really quite impressive and the good definitely outweighs the bad. The album begins with the excellent 'Seaside', a track which really sets up the atmosphere for the album as a whole. Although the track is a little slow going, it is a great opening and is one that I really enjoy. It's easy to see why their live show didn't capture my attention when I first saw them however; a lot of the tracks present here are definite growers and so it takes several listens for them to really make their impact.

'She Moves In Her Own Way' is perhaps my favourite of all tracks present here on this album. There is just something about it that makes me sing along at the top of my voice every time I listen to it, something that I can't help but do. The Kooks possess a great quality of making me do this, and I'm not at all ashamed of saying so. 'She Moves In Her Own Way' has the most fantastic chorus, an excellent back beat, and some brilliant guitar work which makes me smile every time I listen to it. No other Kooks track moves me in quite such a way as this.

Whilst 'She Moves In Her Own Way' is my absolute favourite from this album, there are of course other tracks that greatly appeal to me in this release, most notably the aforementioned and to date most commercially successful single from the band 'Naïve', and also the simply superb 'Sofa Song'. It's an interesting one that all of my three favourite tracks from the album were released as singles but there you go, when a band release six tracks from an album then in most instances this is bound to be the case. Short of being few and far between, the highlights from this album come roughly every other track which of course provides for a fantastic listening experience when playing the 'Inside In/Inside Out' album. It is impossible to tire of this music when you know that the album possesses such an enormity of strength and contains such a vast amount of stand out moments. Each and every listen to this album is a positive one, and a great deal of satisfaction can be gained from listening to the album as a whole.

Although my experience of The Kooks album is for the most part a positive one, there are a few tracks here that I just never managed to get into, 'Match Box' being a prime example. This one comes midway through the album and I just fail to see any appeal in it whatsoever. It is not too different to their other tracks, yet somehow it just doesn't quite work and is really rather tiresome. This is the main blip I feel the album possesses however as for the most part The Kooks impress in this album and show themselves to be a talented band with big ideas, ideas which generally pay off and sound fantastic.

The sound of The Kooks is very much their own, they play an excellent brand of Indie Rock and do so with great passion and in tremendous fashion. The music is not always terribly exciting, especially when listening to the tracks for the first time, however with repeated play the music quickly grows on you and The Kooks may fast become your new favourite band. There will of course be those that don't greatly appreciate their music, however I personally am a great admirer of their sound and enjoy what they have to offer with this release, their début album offering.

The Kooks début album may not be the best that I have ever heard, however it is still one that is well worth checking out. One of the best bands to have come out of Brighton in a long while, The Kooks are a band that should go far with the sound that they are producing. With a new album due out in April 2008, it would seem that The Kooks show no signs of throwing in the towel just yet and hopefully they will keep releasing quality albums for years to come. These seasiders are excellent at what they do, a band who've practised and perfected their sound over the last couple of years, something which has definitely benefited them greatly. If you've not already done so, then make sure you give this 'Inside In/Inside Out' album a listen, and be sure to purchase their second album 'Konk' when it comes out in April as well.

Summary: The Kooks 2006 début album 'Inside In/Inside Out' is in possession of some fantastic tracks.