Cold War Kids - Mine Is Yours (2011)

Cold War Kids has returned on their third album as a band that sounds closer to Train than the raw passion of their former selves exemplified on Robbers & Cowards. Now on Interscope, Cold War Kids suffer from over-production and under-enthusiasm, tell-tale signs of what is now the all-too-familiar Big Label Curse. Robbers & Cowards was a unique, fearless album that took a mish-mash of intriguing influences and churned them together to create something previously undiscovered. I won't lament. Mine Is Yours, in stark contrast, does the best it can to sound so... regular. Nathan Willett can still let loose with his impressive, identifiable voice, and does so on occasion, but when it is used to sing the rather insipid and empty choruses of "Finally Begin" and "Louder Than Ever," it is wasted. Instead of doing something interesting, five minutes of album space is stolen from the listener in the form of the Keane tribute track "Bulldozer." The attitude and artistry is gone, as I wrote here a few years back, which is too bad because from what I can tell and have heard, they are cool dudes who put on a great live show. Unfortunately, the music off of Mine Is Yours is obviously geared for ears other than mine.

Friday Night Beer Pairing: Miller High Life & Valient Thorr

After fleeing their overpopulated and war-torn home of Venus, Valient Thorr settled in North Carolina. Since their arrival, the other 49 states are in debt. They have a very unique sound not of this earth, if you will. They have been spreading positive vibrations on an insane touring regime that has only been interrupted by Valient Himself donating one of his kidneys to his earthling father. The band is a hybrid of punk, bluegrass, and metal that is very unique, and so good. It feels as if I am listening to Adolescents, Sir Lord Baltimore, Thin Lizzy, and the dueling banjos of Deliverance all at the same time. Because of this reason, it reminds me of several different times in my life, and there is only one beer that represents my drinking life since its inception at the precious age of 14. Miller High Life.

The first time that I drank a High Life was with my old friend Miles Leland. It is a little bit creepy, because he has two first names, and his infatuation with High Life was due to his attraction to the babe on the moon. Little did I know his genius, and the way he would change my life. The ways that I enjoy High Life is just as dynamic as Valent Thorr. Its a perfect beer for camping, watching a movie, road trips, river rafting, chilling at the beach, chores, listening to tunes... but especially for partying super fucking hard. This song reminds me of riding my bike in Santa Cruz, looking for chicks...failing miserably, then getting super trashed with brosephs and getting in a ton of trouble. I saw Valient Thorr last year, and it was the best show I had seen in a long time. I was there with friends, drinking High Life, headbanging with my foot on the monitors, and pouring every third beer on my head. It was amazing. High Life and Valient Thorr remind me of not giving a shit, getting heated, and making bad decisions. Put the video on, get a High Life, and get ready to make bad decisions.