Indie backlash is a bitch, ain’t it? I’ve been listening to the Cold War Kids’ full-length Robbers & Cowards this past week, and some small part of me feels like I should be apologetic for liking it. It’s that indie complex. But, you know what, eff that. I’m getting too grouchy to worry about that anymore.

Robbers & Cowards (Downtown) is comprised mostly of material from the group’s previous EPs, presumably under the theory of striking while the iron is hot. Who can blame ’em? Even if the writing is clunky at times – Still, things could be much worse / natural disasters, on the evening news – there’s at least an unflinching honesty to it. The music feels bluesy and loose, and it’s sometimes hard to reconcile singer Nathan Willett’s conversation-style singing within that context. But I see nothing wrong with pushing the issue of conventional song structures.

So, go ahead and hate. We’re still going to check them out tonight at the Clubhouse tonight. Which means possible pictures tomorrow.

Some media:

Mini-doc (by “mini” I mean 6 minutes): Oh, This Life.
(From CWK: “We put this film together to introduce ourselves to you, perhaps for the first time, and give you a glimpse of what we’ve been doing for the last two years; also to say thanks to those who have been with us since the beginning.”)

Video: Hang Me Up to Dry.
MP3: Cold War Kids | Hospital Beds

Related:
Cold War Kids, Dr. Dog, Elvis Perkins on KEXP.
Cold War Kids @ Daytrotter.