An estimated 92% of us experience earworms. Despite the annoying times we can’t get a chorus or a hook of an overplayed pop song out of our heads, getting a really good earworm stuck can be one of the best things, ever. We here at Nerdist are dead set on bringing you those types of songs—even if only for the weekend. So shove this into your grey matter!
You cannot imagine how hard it was to refrain from using the word “kook” in some silly way in the headline or on social media for this week’s article. As much as it pains me to have taken the higher pun-free road from such things, I suppose it’s ultimately for the best.
Now, I thought I was through being addicted to that old iPod I recently brought back to life but, just like Michael Corleone, I keep getting pulled back in, so we’re just gonna have to deal with some late 2000s stuff. Alright, ready to get a little kooky! (Ahh dammit! Couldn’t even make it through the intro!)
Always Where I Need To Be
I’m sure this isn’t the first time anyone has heard British pop band The Kooks. I don’t expect this week’s column to be eye-opening (ear-opening? That can’t be a thing) to songs you’ve likely already heard on TV and in movies over the last few years. Instead, this week is more about wanting to celebrate a band that I don’t think I could ever get sick of. This track off their 2008 album Konk might hit every box on an earworm checklist, with its pop-punk music and lyrics, a tinge of British invasion sound, and just about the catchiest chorus of “doo doos” anyone could ever ask for.
She Moves In Her Own Way
If we head back two years prior to Konk, we get The Kooks’ first album Inside In / Inside Out, with an even more Brit-pop sound that seems to hark back to a certain English group from the 1960s. It’s gotta be tough being a four piece band from England knowing that, at some point, you’ll be up against that comparison. Thankfully this music speaks for itself and has, at least in my opinion, earned its own place in the world. Plus, how can you not love an earnest lyric like “I love her because she moves in her own way“?
Forgive & Forget
While it’s a bit different then the majority of their other music, “Forgive & Forget,” off of 2014’s Listen, needed mentioning in order to make an observation. I find it interesting that The Kooks circa 2006 sound decidedly like 1960s rock and roll, but about a decade later their music has gained a bit of a disco flair to it. The whole album isn’t like this, but it’s notable that their style, in this song at least, made a similar change in about the same amount that the genres did. While this song is somewhat lacking in the more meaningful lyrics I’ve come to appreciate in their music, look no further than “Around Town,” off the same album. The video is shot so beautifully that it’s more like a short film about doing what has to be done for the ones you love, albeit in a rather violent way, and perfectly complements the chorus of “Will you love me when the chips are down?/Could you love me when the world is crashing all around?”
What are your favorite songs by The Kooks? Let’s discuss in the comments below!
Image: The Kooks
Blake Rodgers writes for Nerdist from Chicago, IL where he lives happily with his Guinness World Record for High Fives. Be his pal by following him on Twitter (@TheBlakeRodgers)
