Most new albums you buy need at least two or three listens before you can really get into them, before you can decide whether or not they are worth listening to again.
This one, however, was different.
Cold War Kids first came to my attention as the feature album on everybody's favourite national broadcaster, Triple J, a couple of months ago.
When I first slotted this CD into my player I was instantly hooked.
This album is thinking music. It is not some hastily scrabbled together collection of songs, it is a collection of short stories about a variety of wretched characters who may or may not exist in our society.
The first song, We Used to Vacation, spins the lyrical tale of an alcoholic husband, and the battles he faces from within and from his family in trying to give up the drink.
It's hard to remember when lyrics in a song seemed so full of emotion and so simple at the same time: "I promised to my wife and children, I'd never touch another drink as long as I live/But even then it sounds so soothing to mix a gin and sink into oblivion."
Hang Me Up To Dry, the second track and first single from the album, is almost reminiscent of Gomez in its musical genius served with a healthy dose of simplicity.
The Deep Southern gospel style of Saint John is way out of left field yet musically brilliant at the same time.
In all, Robbers & Cowards is intelligent music. The lyrical content makes you ponder life and its eccentricities, while the music draws on a massive pool of genres to create an alt-rock sound that is refreshingly original.
Four and a half stars.
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