Modern Cosmology Summer Long, What Cheer? Brigade You Can’t See Inside of Me
Modern Cosmology
Summer Long
(Elefant)
This writer was one of many people saddened in 2009 by the announcement that Stereolab—everyone’s favorite analog-synth-and-Krautrock-loving insider-music plagiarists—would be going on hiatus.
However, despite that, key member Tim Gane has continued on in the excellent group Cavern of Anti-Matter, and co-founder and lead vocalist Lætitia Sadier has had a productive solo career, releasing four charming albums since 2009.
A new collaboration, called Modern Cosmology, pairs Sadier with the Brazilian group Mombojó, which will likely appeal to Stereolab fans despite several stylistic differences.
Stereolab had a Brazilian influence that was subtle—most notably, the group adeptly covered the Antônio Carlos Jobim tunes “One Note Samba” and “Surfboard” for the Red, Hot + Rio benefit album—and this collaboration feels like a natural fit for Sadier.
The debut EP release Summer Long shares its name with a Mombojó track from 2014 that features Sadier on vocals, although that track isn’t included here, and the EP is available on 10-inch vinyl or as a digital download from the Spanish pop label Elefant.
The opener, “C’est Le Vent” (“It’s the Wind” in English), immediately hits the listener with a comforting mood set by strings and electric piano, reminiscent of Sean O’Hagan’s arrangements he made as an auxiliary Stereolab member. Eventually, the listener may realize that the song’s unusual tug is due to its 5/4 time signature, and Stereolab fans may be reminded of the similar rhythm heard on the track “Percolator”; Sadier sings in French with her always lovely voice about suffering and irresistible forces.
“The Source” (sung in English) is a bit more diverse, ending with a swirling maelstrom of keyboard patterns and vocal chanting, and the cool and tender “Power of Touch” goes into straight-up bossa nova territory with nylon-stringed guitars and keyboard accents, behind the male/female vocal duet.
Modern Cosmology’s percussion is the key differentiator between it and Stereolab’s legacy, going for a gentler approach rather than Stereolab’s motorik-beat-obsessed routine. While the melodies on SSummer Long don’t stick as well as this writer would have liked, the biggest impression is made from the careful arrangements, instrumentation and spotless recordings; he eagerly awaits more from this promising collaboration.
What Cheer? Brigade
You Can’t See Inside of Me
(Don Giovanni)
The 19-piece brass band The What Cheer? Brigade from Providence, R.I. is known for its frenetic and unforgettable live shows, generating energy and inspiring dancing with a healthy amount of spectacle, and its albums are understandably overshadowed by the group’s thrilling live experience.
The band’s musicianship has consistently become stronger over the years, which is clearly preserved for posterity on their recordings, starting with the 2008 debut We Blow You Suck and the 2011 follow-up Classy: Live in Pawtucket.
This trend continues with the new 2-CD offering You Can’t See Inside of Me, which is the group’s tightest album so far, marked with thundering drums and nuanced and expressive trumpet solos.
While the band is known for its eclecticism, reflected in its original compositions and covers from a wide array of genres and locations—including Bollywood film music from India, a classical Erik Satie arrangement, or even Lightning Bolt’s intense noise-rock—about half of You Can’t See Inside of Me has a focus on Roma (the nomadic ethnic group) music in Southeast Europe.
(The detailed booklet has a fascinating discussion of Roma music traditions and identities in Serbia—one reason that you’ll have to pry this music critic’s CDs and liner notes from his cold, dead hands, in this age of streaming media.)
The first disc contains the proper album, while the second disc is a bonus remix disc that is somewhat superfluous; nevertheless, it works best when it strays from the “overlay electronic beats on the original track” method and opts for more eccentric manipulations.
On the proper album, the group’s rendition of “You Don’t Want to Go to War” from the New Orleans-based Rebirth Brass Band is a spirited take, using the descending melodic hook and its call-and-response exchanges to great effect, and the original number “Black Cannon” is another highlight, moving from a deep funk backbone to a furious pace in 2/4 time.
The first disc closes with a relaxed-tempo, slowly burning 8-minute version of Brian Eno’s “Here Come the Warm Jets” that eschews the muffled lyrics of the original for wordless vocalizing that comes a little close to the infamous “indie whoa” phenomenon (see the Pitchfork article “Arcade Fire’s Funeral and the Legacy of the ‘WHOA-OH’” for a good analysis of this) but manages to work without sounding like it is blatantly pandering.
On this new recording, without the live spectacle, the What Cheer? Brigade can still impress.