Konk (album)
| Konk | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||
| Studio album by The Kooks | ||||
| Released | 11 April 2008 | |||
| Recorded | 2007 in Konk Studios | |||
| Genre | Indie rock | |||
| Length | 43:47 | |||
| Label | Virgin Records | |||
| Producer | Tony Hoffer | |||
| The Kooks chronology | ||||
|
||||
| RAK | ||||
Cover of the special edition which includes bonus disc RAK.
|
||||
| Singles from Konk | ||||
|
||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 65/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |
  |
| BBC | (Mixed) |
| Digital Spy |
 |
| Drowned in Sound | (1/10) |
| NME | (5/10) |
| Pitchfork Media | (4.9/10) |
| Spin |
|
| The Times |
|
| The Independent |
|
| The Guardian |
|
Konk is the second album by British indie rock band The Kooks, released on 14 April 2008 on Virgin Records. Produced by Tony Hoffer, the album is named after the London studio where it was recorded, which is the property of Ray Davies. This was the last album to feature original bassist Max Rafferty.
As early as October 2006, nine months after the release of their platinum debut album Inside In/Inside Out, lead singer Luke Pritchard was already claiming that The Kooks' second album would be "fucking amazing. We're going to take our time and release it when we feel it's ready." In January 2007, it was reported that The Kooks had returned to their studio in Brighton to begin work on the album, with Pritchard admitting that they had "tons of new tunes."
The album was recorded with producer Tony Hoffer at Konk Studios in London, with the band taking advantage of their debut album's success by having a bigger recording budget that enabled them to use better equipment. "We wanted this album to sound more epic than the last one," said Pritchard.
Being fans of The Kinks, The Kooks were excited by the prospect of recording at a studio started and run by their idols. "When we got here first we were very excited because this building has yielded some amazing music -- stuff that I still listen to all the time. You can't help but be inspired by making an album here," said Pritchard. The band had been prolific songwriters during their two years on tour, and even considered making their sophomore effort a double album.
However, tensions would occur due to bassist Max Rafferty, who had previously left the band for nine months due to health issues before returning in January 2007. "Max had been in and out of the group for a while, but his whole way of being wasn’t conducive to being in a band. Creatively, it fell apart in the studio. There were some great moments, but it was difficult because Max wasn’t always around. Sometimes it felt like we were doing the album with one hand behind our backs," said Pritchard.
The band's issues with Rafferty eventually came to a head and he was fired on 29 January 2008 after the album's completion and before its release. Remarking on Rafferty's sacking, Pritchard commented, "In my opinion he's going through a lot in his life, and being in a band doesn't help that kind of stuff." In another interview, guitarist Hugh Harris added, "You’ve got to believe in what you’re doing. You’ve got to have some sort of drive. If you don’t think the music you’re playing is the best in the world then why would you be in that band?"
...
Wikipedia