owch.

Cold War Kids
“Hospital Beds”
[2006]

Like so many Facebook profiles, this Californian four-piece probably likes just about anything but country. Recently signed to Downtown Records, they cite an exhausting list of influences-- everything from Bob Dylan, the Beatles, and U2, to, several paragraphs later, Belle and Sebastian and Nirvana. In particular, frontman Nathan Willett needs to realize he can't be every singer he idolizes at once, because no matter how good the rest of the band sounds, his pompous delivery makes every song sound like a Jeff Buckley cover band playing a wedding while drunk. Here, what could've been a nice mixtape number snuggled in between humble Voxtrot and Antony and the Johnsons ballads blows a gasket, at times stretching for soulful Black Crowes heights à la "She Talks to Angels". I suppose hidden somewhere in between Dylan and Cobain there was a Crowes shout-out, but they could at least have paid homage to their heroes by writing a damn chorus.

- Pitchfork Media

* Lindsay's side note: Pitchfork sucks, I love this song. Sorry to my friends in CWK.