Cold War Kids' latest effort disappointing

By Gabrielle Reyes     2/3/11 6:00pm

With their third studio album, Mine Is Yours, Cold War Kids offer up a decidedly different sound from their previous efforts. Greatly contrasting with the material characteristic of their first two albums, Mine Is Yours is a more refined, mainstream version of their former records. Indeed, "Louder Than Ever," an unabashedly radio-friendly pop-rock track, serves as a shocking indicator of just how dramatically these Long Beach, Calif. natives have departed from the raw, unhinged songs of their debut album, Robbers and Cowards, such as "Hang Me Up To Dry."

Although Cold War Kids do make an effort to include a few of their characteristic "bluesy" numbers on Mine Is Yours, these attempts, such as "Cold Toes On The Ground" and "Royal Blue," fail to entice the listener in the same manner as earlier songs. Certainly, Cold War Kids found far greater triumph in the arena of blues when they operated under a more organic and less

affected style.

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For Mine Is Yours, Cold War Kids enlisted the same producer used by Kings of Leon; evidence of this collaboration can be found throughout the album. Whereas their previous releases might have come across as scattered and loose, Cold War Kids more than made up for this lack of direction with their undeniable heart and genuine expression.

You could forgive them for their clumsy production because, in the end, they saw to it that their sincere passion transcended any deficiencies in presentation. Mine Is Yours has quite the opposite effect. Relying heavily upon studio production and less on legitimate intensity, it leaves the listener with the sense that he or she has heard this sound before and liked it better the first time around.

The earnestness of Cold War Kids' first two albums appears to be completely absent on Mine Is Yours. Indeed, with this latest effort, they trade the charming and endearing naiveté of their former work for an over-processed, contrived collection of songs that endeavors, unsuccessfully, to portray them as working under a newer, fresher and more

polished sound.

With Mine Is Yours, Cold War Kids attempt to reinvent themselves as sophisticated and mature, when in fact they have taken a step backward in terms of the development of their sound. If they equate pandering with musical progression, then Cold War Kids are undoubtedly on the fast-track to mainstream success.

Unfortunately, this band seems even more confused with the direction of their music than their previous studio efforts suggest, and this time the excuse of inexperience no longer applies. On Mine Is Yours, Cold War Kids are guilty of abandoning their authentic spirit for the manufactured sentiments rooted in a hollow desire for

popular approval.

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