Get Konked by The Kooks

The Kooks release their anticipated second album, Konk, today in the States. I've been enjoying the single, Always Where I Need to Be, for a while now. It's fun, catchy and a nice place to pick up from their auspicious debut, Inside In/Inside Out. Although the new material is not a grand departure or new direction, the band seems to be fully comfortable with their sound, eliciting a worn in, familiar feeling. Like many bands before them, The Kooks know what they do well and continue to do it with obvious improvements and more confidence. They're definitely one of the highlites of the indie Brit rock scene of recent years.

The Guardian gave Konk a 4 out of 5 stars review. We'll see how the album will be received by the US music press. I do know that their popularity has grown significantly as they've added a second June date at Terminal 5, a venue of considerable size. Tickets are still available for the June 10th gig.

The video for Always Where I Need To Be was filmed here in NYC and features some noteworthy, but not necessarily obvious landmarks. Really well done, especially the Brooklyn rooftop scenes where the views of Manhattan are lovely but not imposing.



Were you able to spot...
+ the East Village's Joe Strummer memorial mural

+ Central Park's Bethesda Fountain

+ Coney Island

+ the Brighton boys enjoying some delicious looking slices of REAL pizza


The Kooks February performance on Conan will be repeated this Friday. Watch the clip HERE.


What're your thoughts on Konk?