Review by Dan:

Offering educated and at times poetic indie, “Robbers & Cowards” is the debut from stateside rockers Cold War Kids. Touching on tales of life on death row, described in the deep south drawl of “Saint John”, and alcoholism, where “We Used To Vacation” sees Nathan Willett asking for forgiveness from the condition (even claiming, in not one of the easier karaoke lines, ‘I give a check to tax deductible organisations’), the listener could be excused for thinking it’s all gloom and depression, but my favourite, the catchy “Tell Me In The Morning”, with its seemingly Razorlight inspired riff livens the album up a bit. This, and “Hang Me Up To Dry”, built around a bare bluesy thread and the desperate howl of Willett, and are the best examples of rock that threatens the borders of, but doesn’t quite invade anthemic status, yet. On the down side, “God, Make Up Your Mind”, told through the eyes of a 12 year old kid, is, in my opinion, a awful mess musically, even though it’s possibly the strongest track lyrically. If the quality of the music in the second half of “Robbers & Cowards” matched the quality of the commentary, this would be an outstanding introduction from Cold War Kids.