Today, actually about an hour ago (depending on when you are reading this of course) Cold War Kids debuted their song “Love is Mystical“. It is not only mystical but beautiful, and I’m in love with it.
At 9:00 am on Thursday morning Radio 104.5 was blasting as I drove to class. All of a sudden a clip of an interview with Nathan Willet the leader singer Cold War Kids came through. He spoke of how the song First had changed the band’s approach to writing and composing songs. Hearing this made me nervous. Were we about to listen to a regurgitated pop style alternative cd that simply played by the rules and failed to give us the Cold War Kids sound that makes them significant and identifiable?
No.
It is beautiful. The song is a mixture of all of their past material. If I were to choose one song it related to the most it would be “All This Could Be Yours“. With Nathan’s extremely identifiable voice supported by strong background vocals and a beat that will have you clapping when they perform live (This is pretty consistent in their concerts. When I saw them there was jumping, clapping, and I may have let out some girlish screams trying to match his voice). The piano opens for both of the songs and can be heard throughout. It seems much more controlled as the constant throughout the song.
In the past, the guitar and piano would take turns being the constant sound, while occasionally breaking out into beautiful chaos. The drummer takes a turn in creating a solo that is perfectly placed in the second half of the song.
What makes this song significant is the statement behind it. Not the lyrical statement, but the fact that they are continuing to produce music even after their fame from “First“. I am shaking with anticipation for their next album.
-Wesley A. Gehman
This post was uploaded from my previous blog “Word Wing“