Music reviews

Junk of the heart
The Kooks
EMI,Rs. 395

Same old tunes...

The britpop genre and groove which The Kooks adopted in their maiden album, Inside In/Inside Out (2006) has continued through Konk (2008) and now, Junk of the Heart (2011), their latest. The band, undoubtedly, does not feel the need to mend something which is not broken. The title track, sums up the band’s attitude. Frontman, Luke Pritchard, sings, I want to make you happy/I want to make you feel alive. The tracks that follow are an extension of this pop philosophy. The uncomplicated lyrics, melodic and harmonic tunes are easy on the ears.

Tracks like Eskimo Kiss and Runaway capitalise on the band’s skill in writing a great acoustic guitar riff. Even though the synth in Runaway sounds out of place, the band is still up to its normal tricks. The album’s choruses are still driven by the band’s vocal harmony, which is, at times, reminiscent of the Beatles and at other times, recalls contemporary British bands like the Kaiser Chiefs. Time Above the Earth strays a bit from their well established genre, while Is It Me and Killing Me both feature pad synth that add a touch of 1980s balladry. The latter song in particular is one of the album’s top tracks. These additions are sheer variety to an alreadysuccessful formula.

Michael Patrao

Nothing but the beat
David Guetta
EMI,Rs. 395

Nothing new

Nothing But The Beat will reinforce your faith in the saying “the tried and tested”. The French DJ knows his audience well. He sticks close to his signature formula, offering up a few more high-octane dance-floor numbers that are all entirely interchangeable with his prior hits, and indeed, pretty much anything else that’s been clogging up the top 40.

The opening track and lead single Where Them Girls At gives you a perfect first impression of the album — relentless Euro-dance sounds with urban vocals that have become Guetta’s trademark. The track lacks the glossy sheen that Guetta’s sound of the summer of 2009 had. It’s pure entertainment, yes, but what’s new, Guetta?

Nothing But The Beat is a fun, electronically-oriented dance party record. The two-disc set includes songs on the first disc and instrumentals on the second. With this album, David Guetta has rightfully declared to the industry and audience that he makes a great music producer, with little or no interest in creating anything new or different. At best, it is a great underground album.

Soumya Nair