{grate 4} For those who dread the mainstream monotony of MTV and the
like, the Kooks affirm themselves as our guilty indie-pop pleasures with their
sophomore album, Konk. After topping the charts with infectious hits like
“Naïve” and “The Way She Moves” in 2006, the Brighton four-piece tastefully
avoided a sophomore slump with cute love ballads in the classic charm of
well-tailored — albeit messy-haired — blokes.

Although Luke Pritchard’s accent is sometimes
incomprehensibly thick in “Always Where I Need to Be,” the thought of him
whispering sweet nothings in our ears like a hummingbird is enough to send
ladies “arse over elbow.”

“One Last Time” is a delightful, yet sad memoir detailing
the potential tragedies of setting your heart at the mercy of an unrequited
love. Coupled with delicate acoustic strumming and Pritchard lamenting, “We
were lovers in every way/ Now I can hardly remember her face,” we can almost
plunge into the subterranean darkness of a waning love affair and experience
the interminable nights of tear-soaked pillows and snot-infested noses. The
song is so beautifully composed that we want to hunt down and chastise the vamp
who made poor Pritchard cry such sorrowful words.

Although the last track also reveals the curious
imprisonment of a lost love, “Tick of Time” picks a more upbeat acoustic rhythm
and the song is sprinkled with a lighthearted tambourine. The track opens up
with an informal jam session, Pritchard singing, “Oh honey please, don’t shed
no tears/ As long as I’m here” before a spurt of laughter in the studio breaks
the reverie and promises a cheerier sentiment “One Last Time.”

With Konk’s epic debut, the bravado of the emotionally savvy
and ever-so-dashing Kooks helps us comprehend the complexities of a love lapsed
in time. So cheers, mate — these British rockers will make life a little easier
in some of our most vulnerable states.