Junk Of The Heart

Many of you may well dread the return of The Kooks. The Brighton four-piece have, after all, been responsible for some of the most annoyingly hummable songs Topshop ever added to an in-store playlist.
Well, relax. This third album may not turn them into the world’s biggest band, but there’s enough going on here to redeem them in the eyes of most ‘serious’ music fans. In some ways, Junk Of The Heart captures the sound of a band trying to shake off any vestiges of their own brand of jangle-pop. It starts conservatively, mind you: singer Luke Pritchard’s nasal vocal is still as cheery as ever on so-so opening tracks ‘Junk Of The Heart’ and ‘How’d You Like That’, but the album’s first sucker-punch is landed in the expansive chorus of third track ‘Rosie’. Now this is something to get worked up about.

From here on in, The Kooks are transformed into a kind of reincarnated Supergrass, switching moods and style effectively with each track: ‘Time Above The Earth’ boasts melancholic strings and ‘Runaway’ opens out into a clattering electro rock finish, while ‘Taking Pictures Of You’ features a few guitar nods to Jonny Greenwood.
The Kooks are earnest in their quest to be bigger and bolder than heretofore. With Junk Of The Heart they are heading in the right direction.