Keen not to follow in the footsteps of many other acts, Cold War Kids chose not to churn out another album hoping to tail on with the success of Robbers and Cowards. Instead they kept hush hush and two years later have returned with Loyalty To Loyalty.Not a great deal has changed since Robbers and Cowards in terms of the bands sound, Nathan Willet's spine tingling howl still leads through most tracks whilst Matt Maust's bass resonates from beneath with anguish. Their rough bluesy sound is more prevalent than ever, but there are some new feasts for the ears.Honky-tonk pianos change the direction of the down beat, 'Every Valley Is Not A Lake' and 'Dreams Old Men Dream' is a welcome surprise showing that they can do light-hearted, melodic, dare I say ‘pop songs'. But fear not cold hearted morose lyric lovers, this album is essentially packed with more dark tales of abandonment, despair guilt and a nice helping of suicide. 'Every Man I Fall For' is a gut wrenching diary entry of domestic violence with searing guitars, whilst 'Mexican Dogs' is a journey back to blues funk "Where I walk now, where I talk now" snarls a confidence charged Willett. 'Golden Gate Jumpers' is a western whisky soaked tale of suicidal tendencies beautifully executed with Willet's wailing throughout. 'I've Seen Enough' is surely to be hit for the festivals of next year as will the majority of the album. It's obvious that despite the down beat undertones of the lyrics; the energy of these tracks will translate just as well as the last batch into a storming live set.Echoes of Tom Waites and The Raconteurs are present throughout but ultimately, once more Cold War Kids have created another fantastic album with a sound which is truly their own. 87%Cold War Kids on MySpace