Coldwar kids stick with stories on sophomore CD

These are the new age storytellers. Well, maybe “new age” is only appropriate because they are a modern band, but they play with an inspired sense of old-fashioned values. They have built their sound off an interesting mash-up of blues, folk and soul. And it all comes through the indie rock filter—innovative, original compositions that go beyond singular-style boundaries.

The band’s second full-length album, “Loyalty to Loyalty,” is just as rousing and powerful as its predecessor, “Robbers and Cowards,” while not following the same recipe. The new record has plenty of ballads, but also commentaries and cries for change.

Lead singer Nate Willett again sings with the pure, raw emotion necessary to effectively sing the blues. He’s not a dazzler, going up and down scales and hitting tons of notes, but Willett is dynamic in his ability to play all of the characters from the songs’ stories or to cry for justice in others. He is among the most efficient vocalists today.

The album opener, “Against Privacy,” is a loose, free-flowing arrangement. It floats with a sprinkling of dreams while guitarist Jonnie Russell goes through peaks and valleys on guitar. His part flashes in and out of the foreground for the first half, simmering until it takes flight in the later half of the song. His blues breakdown is the climax of a band self-description from Nate Willett and Co.:

We don’t gamble,
We don’t do the stock exchange,
We paint paintings,
We write scenes for the stage

We will talk about welfare,
We will talk about sex,
Talk about the golden prada shoes,
Nobody gets upset,
Nobody gets upset

“Every Valley Is Not a Lake” is a piano-driven masterpiece that warns against arguing with Grandma. Willet spouts off wisdom like a grandparent would, changing tempos from a trilling guitar and drum ensemble to a shrill chorus.

The album’s first single, “Something Is Not Right with Me,” is a glorious garage bounce rock composition. The audience takes a plunge into paranoia with Willet leading the way.

Something is not right with me,
How was I supposed to know?
Something is not right with me,
Trying not to let it show

I tried to call you collect,
You said you would not accept,
Your friends are laughing ‘cause nobody uses payphones,
Gave me quarters to select
On the jukebox that gets
People dancing, should have never chose ‘Girlfriend’

He repeatedly hollers the title with a dance bass line and fitting drum and tambourine stomp.

“I’ve Seen Enough” is another Willet declaration; a plea for change that begins to weaken him as the song progresses. He loses vigor with each verse, displaying the debilitating state of modern times.

Chock full of blues’ themed vignettes, dashed hopes and dreams of better times, “Loyalty to Loyalty” is another step towards solidifying the Cold War Kids role as our times’ best bards.