CD of The Week

Though frontman Luke Pritchard's outspoken antics haven't changed, the sound of The Kooks has certainly evolved on their fourth studio album Listen. Always striving to push musical boundaries, Pritchard sought the assistance of young, London-based, hip-hop producer Inflo, who produced the album and co-wrote a number of the songs. Stacked with layers of production, the album has a distinct retro feel that spans eras as well as genres, drawing from funk, gospel, jazz and, of course, hip-hop. While it is far from the "world album" Pritchard describes it as, it most certainly breathes a new and eclectic light into the inviting indie rock melodies The Kooks have mastered since the days of Inside In/Inside Out.

Album opener "Around Town" is a powerful standout, epitomizing the new sound whose infectious melody is surrounded by a choir of gospel background vocals and driven forward with force by the percussive skills of new drummer Alexis Nunez. Funky basslines anchor the smooth and seductive "Hold On" and the quirky spunk of the Spanish style guitar riffs in "Sunrise." The album also includes an, admittedly surface level, social commentary on the London riots, "It Was London," that boasts a 60s-style, Brit-rock melody. Divergent from the rest of the collection, Pritchard speaks directly to his deceased father in the piano ballad "See Me Now" that reveals a more vulnerable and earnest side of Pritchard.

It's a fun and danceable listen that turns a cacophonous group of sounds into something infectious. As Pritchard says himself, Listen is about "pure expression" making up for what it lacks in lyrical prowess in creative musical arrangements and sounds. This album will certainly make for a wonderful live show which you can catch at Union Transferon October 7th.