With the world in a global pandemic and lockdown, I have started venturing out of my usual playlist... here's what I've discovered so far:
The Kooks - Let's Go Sunshine
Having already heard some of The Kooks' hits such as 'She Moves In Her Own Way', I was already vaguely aware of their easy listening, upbeat indie style. Listening to 'Let's Go Sunshine', entered me into a whole new world of this band and exposed me to a side of them that I was yet to discover.
Firstly, I love an album with a story; one that takes you on a journey, that you can get lost in; when I saw the first track was 'Intro' I had a feeling there would be a vague journey. Story or not, there was bound to be some form of musical journey purely due to the title of the opening track.
There is a hint of foreshadowing within 'Intro' pointing to the concluding song 'No Pressure', which could be perceived as a dream or an ideal which gets reached at the end, due to the faint echoes of it in the beginning, developing to the full volume song, portraying how it has become real and at the forefront of life.
Over the course of the album, there is always an underlying hint of the ups and downs of relationships reflected in the echoes of guitar twangs in the background acting almost as the plucking of heart strings, but the whole album still presents a sense of hope with their upbeat charm. Even the mellow tracks 'Tesco Disco' and 'Picture Frame' evoke both sadness and a sense of comfort at the same time.
Personally, the songs that stood out for me were 'Kids', 'Believe' and 'Fractured and Dazed': all are generally upbeat but with hints of heartfelt and thoughtful patches with the odd guitar solo thrown in subtly. Despite a few songs standing out in particular, the overall album is easy listening but uplifting making it versatile for pretty much any mood.
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