Cold War Kids
Southern California's Cold War Kids are literate dreamers with an ambitious idea not to present themselves as four musicians but as "an expanding artistic community in which everyone takes part." Indeed, the extensive personal writing on the band's website and detailed original artwork reflects the notion that music is only part of their strategy to capture the hearts and minds of young indie America. Musically, their reverb-drenched guitar and piano sound vacillates between danceable rock grooves built around Strokes-style hooks and slower tracks more reminiscent of New York's recent break-out artists like The French Kicks and Walkmen. -Shroomer McGinty
