aaamusic | On 26, Sep 2011

Having already received rave reviews from the press for his earlier singles Gay Pirates and Sure As Hell Not Jesus, Cosmo Jarvis finally releases his long awaited LP Is The World Strange or Am I?.  The perplexing musician has tried a million and one different styles on his sophomore record and to my astonishment it actually works!

The album continues in a similar vein to his earlier singles, offering an eclectic mixture of indie, rock ‘n roll and anthem filled tunes to delight even the most hardnosed music fan.  Variety is where the album succeeds, with upcoming guitar based single My Day differing vastly from the electronic infused Dave’s House, which combines The Bloodhound Gang with The Streets in a fulfilling yet bizarre combination.

The earlier singles prove to be some of the stronger tracks on the album, Gay Pirates being a prime example as Cosmo adds to the ever growing pirate rock genre.  Although the album doesn’t have a particular genre or common theme, Cosmo Jarvis manages to blend his styles into something wonderful, bypassing the pitfalls so many bands fall into of trying to do too much on one record.  Radiohead should take note, maybe that would have stopped the constant drivel they’ve released since their 1995 albums.

If Cosmo’s album does have a fault, it’s that his spoken-word songs aren’t as good as his proper singing.  Had he included more of his vocals talents his album would’ve been an instant 5 star review, everything in terms of instrumentals, lyrics and tempo have been perfected to a tee.  Despite this he perhaps overdoes his rapping/speaking on the LP; however it cannot tarnish a fantastic piece of work.  Fans of alternative indie should eat this up quicker than a Rustler burger after a night out.

 

Author: Tom Crowther