Cold War Kids - Robbers & Cowards

I always find it a bit dodgy when bands reuse popular songs from old EPs in an album. While it may in fact make the album more enjoyable, it always gives me the impression that they struggled to write new material and paints a rather bleak picture for the future. So when Cold War Kids decided to take their two successful EPs, lump them together and call it an album, I wasn't the least bit impressed. I couldn’t help but think that the title, Robbers & Cowards, was a fitting description of their action. It’s no surprise that they made such a decision; these EPs both received quite a bit of positive attention, especially from the blogging community and I guess the band didn't want these songs wasted on the often overlooked EP format. But as it stands, I have absolutely no respect for this ‘album’. I found the EPs enjoyable at times, but they were far perfect. I would have much preferred to wait for a debut album composed of new material; that would have been the true test. Clearly they weren't prepared for this and it leaves me wondering what hope the future holds for this band.

MP3: Passing The Hat