It’s sunny outside and I’m in a quiet mood, so the Old Believers make Album Of The Week. Fragile music that gives you space to think. Cold War Kids come second and Kings Of Leon third.

‘Eight Golden Greats’ by Oregon-based duo Old Believers is Alternative Folk without being worthy or dirge-like. It’s no-frills, straight to the heart kind of music you’ll either love or hate.

Cold War Kids have made a second album with more bite than it’s predecessor. ‘Loyalty To Loyalty’ roams the entire spectrum of Alternative Rock, from prickly to vulnerable.

Kings Of Leon disappoint with ‘Only By The Night’, which sees the band polishing up its sound even more and dropping the tempo a notch or two. But listen to the album samples, there’s two potential Kings classics on here, ‘Use Somebody’ and ‘17′.

Album Of The Week: ‘Eight Golden Greats’ by The Old Believers
The Old Believers combine a taste for experimentation with traditional folk songwriting. The result are songs that are gentle without sounding twee. ‘Granny’s Song’ is the hit among the eight tracks on this mini album. ‘There It Is’ comes a close second.

19-year old Nelson Kempf quotes 1950’s Country singer Patsy Cline and Scottish indie band Belle And Sebastian as key influences of the duo. Nelson and his partner Keeley Boyle flit comfortably between the old fashioned (their choice of instruments) and the contemporary (the arrangements).

Watch The Old Believers On YouTube

It’s quite a slinky album with very little ballast. No bombast and no ‘we’re so authentic’ attitude. Quite refreshing, really.

Listen to ‘Eight Golden Greats’ here.

Readers from the UK and Ireland can download ‘Eight Golden Greats’ here from iTunes UK.

#2: ‘Loyalty To Loyalty’ by Cold War Kids
‘Loyalty To Loyalty’ captures the kick you get out of watching Cold War Kids live better than ‘Robbers & Cowards’ did.

The first four tracks have more muscle than anything Cold War Kids recorded before. ‘Against Privacy’, ‘Mexican Dogs’, ‘Every Valley Is Not A Lake’ and ‘Something Is Not Right With Me’ are proudly strutting beasts that owe more to the sneering attitude of Bob Dylan or Nick Cave than to a vulnerable Jeff Buckley.

Watch Cold War Kids Play ‘Something Is Not Right With Me’

The band displays ample confidence to say it loud and say it differently. ‘Relief’ sees the Kids toying with rhythms and noises that could be at home on a prime period Beck album. ‘I’ve Seen Enough’ could be the band’s new ‘Hospital Beds’, a highly melodic song that transcends the borders between Alternative Rock and plain old Pop.

Listen To ‘Loyalty To Loyalty’ Here!

Readers from the UK and Ireland can download ‘Loyalty To Loyalty’ from iTunes UK.

#3: ‘Only By The Night’ by Kings Of Leon
If you are a long time fan, start with ‘Use Somebody’ and ‘17′, two decent additions to the Kings’ set list. Both feature the Kings’ trademark rocking guitars and sparse beat: Straight and simple. ‘Be Somebody’ and ‘Notion’ are somewhat bulkier, but pretty cool nevertheless. Beyond these songs, ‘Only By The Night’ is a totally different beast.

Listen to Kings Of Leon Playing ‘Be Somebody’ On YouTube

If you didn’t care much for the band’s earlier brand of sweaty Rock that celebrated the Rolling Stones circa their ‘Exile On Main Street’ era then listen to ‘Only By The Night’ and be pleasantly surprised. Kings Of Leon scrub up nicely with a helping of ringing U2-style guitars, new rhythm tracks with loads of breaks and vocals that are more Europeanised compared to their earlier retro US rock chic.

To reveal my colours early on, I favour the ‘old’ style Kings Of Leon who might have sounded a bit retro but did that with loads of moxy.

The ‘new’ style works best where the band gives itself time to get into the groove, like on ‘I want You’. If things get busy, then the music tends to bombast - Which doesn’t suit the Kings Of Leon very well. I find songs like ‘Closer’, ‘Crawl’ and ‘Manhattan’ simply too complex, too laboured.

But there are people who like their music a bit more complex than the old Stones routine. Fair enough, but this space is already served by the likes of Coldplay and others.

Readers from the UK and Ireland can download ‘Only By The Night’ with Bonus Tracks from the iTunes UK store.