Cold War Kids + A Lull - Crystal Ballroom (Portland, OR; Mar. 3, 2011)

It’s only been four years since Cold War Kids released Robbers and Cowards, a smash debut that got plenty of radio attention and appreciation from yours truly, but to tell by their concert at Crystal Ballroom this week, it easily could have been forty. Plenty of reasons factor into this assessment, but obviously the one most beneficial to the Long Beach foursome would be the level of adoration displayed by their fans at the show this night. The crowd seemed to have been following the band’s every move since that righteous debut was released, and they proved it by singing along to most of the songs, offering several clap-alongs to supplant the beat and presenting screams of joy at all the right moments. It was a pretty exceptional response for a band I didn’t know could carry such a large and endearing following.

But that’s not giving the band credit where credit is due. Robbers and Cowards truly was a worthy debut, and it gave a great introduction to the band’s genre-defying ways. The album is full of delicious blues, soul and rock ‘n’ roll ditties, ones that often create the sensation of Prohibition-era times to a listener. Its lyrics speak of hymnals, death row, chandeliers and bourbon, and are backed with era-relavent piano and drum beats - yet another reason the band feels like they’ve been around longer than they have. So when lead singer Nathan Willett introduced “Red Wine, Success!” by saying, “This is an old song,” I had to smile. Sure, the group hasn’t really been around for all that long, but their talent and epic music make it clear they can get away with such statements.

On tour with Cold War Kids was A Lull, a Chicago five-piece fairly difficult to comprehend. Sometimes this fact works in their favor, in a sort of avant garde kind of way, but not always. For example, five drum kits sat on the stage with them, and each was eagerly employed throughout the set, by all five of the various musicians. It almost became a question of, ‘Who will play loudest?’ or ‘Who’s got more rhythm than anyone else?’ There was even “Weapons For War,” in which the lead singer replicated his own drum beats by rapidly singing “buhrrr-ruht-tuh-tuh-tuh-tuh” over and over, midway through the song. And so while drums seem to be cherished by this group, reasoning for their existence never seemed that apparent.

A Lull’s got something interesting going on, and decibel level and multiple drum usage aren’t really it – nor are their vocals. It has to be said that too many groups of today have decided the label “indie” allows for their vocalist to croon in a taut, fighting-for-breath kind of way. I understand this technique can allow for a rather artistic sound emission, but singers need to realize not everyone can do it right, and unattractive vocals can completely halt any band’s attempt to win fans over. Lead singer Nigel Dennis was by no means terrible to listen to, but if his band wants to obtain notoriety for their unique layers of sounds, they’ll need to establish a vocal sound that distinguishes itself more. Because at times, A Lull and their experimental nature can be really enticing--as their disoriented sounds trip-trop from one realm to the next--it almost feels as if you’ve landed inside the arcade game Space Invaders. Songs such as “Water & Beasts” induced an intergalactic, rock warrior vibe, and it definitely showed the group’s potential at its best.

After their show had wrapped up, and the in-between-set music revealed itself to be Bill Withers’ “Lean On Me,” the audience quickly jumped at the chance to do a singalong. Sadly, the crew cut the song before it was over, but thankfully, the group of singers were not deterred, and continued to belt out the tune without backup. Such determined crowd participation would show itself time and again throughout the Cold War Kids’ set, and it only helped add to its overall greatness.

The band kicked off with “Royal Blue,” from their 2010 release, Mine Is Yours, an album I’m still not in love with, regardless of how well its songs were performed this night. It contains quite a few tracks that seem to be showing Cold War Kids at their laziest, trying to meld themselves into the mainstream groove that’s not befitting of their work. Honestly, the new songs are mostly boring in comparison to the band’s older, more mysterious, sensual and fun music. The instrumentation is still top drawer, full of variation and unusual rhythms, but the songs’ pace and arrangement feel nothing like the Cold War Kids we were introduced to years prior.

So it was great to hear Loyalty to Loyalty’s “Mexican Dogs” make up for that, as it was played sexily slowed down, featuring a fantastic chug-chug-chug guitar riff that rightly complemented the pounding beat of the drums. It was also impressive to hear a hauntingly beautiful version of “Hang Me Up To Dry” that had Willett stretching his unique vocals to the tightest they could go, and theatrically plead to the crowd, “you wrung me out/too, too, too many times.”

As sensational as most of the show was, there were still moments in which the band lapsed into cookie-cutter melodies, such as with “Dreams Old Men Dream.” I can only hope that as these guys continue to grow with their sound, their music can restore itself to its classic ways. New tracks “Bulldozer” and “Cold Toes On The Cold Floor” did hint at this, especially as the latter began with a snake-charmer of a melody and continued on with gypsy-style rhythms.

But the real show stopper came in the encore, as the band finished with radio hit “We Used To Vacation” and “Saint John,” arguably their best song. “We Used To Vacation” was turned into a slow-rolling blues number that surprisingly brought to mind comparisons to Led Zeppelin. As “Saint John,” easily my favorite track by Cold War Kids, was executed to Romanesque proportions, it left me with both goosebumps and complete gratitude I had gotten to see this show. I’ve now got a feeling this band will likely not be disappearing from our radar anytime in the near future, and for that, too, I am grateful.

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