Cosmo Frequency, Soundtrack To Life

Here is a funny thing. You sit down to review the debut album by a new age group called Cosmo Frequency. You expect some piano and some synth and various other instruments thrown into the mix, and you get all that (the sound of a piano starts the CD). But then you realize you are getting a whole lot more than that. There is a guy reciting a poem, a woman singing some sort of Mid-eastern-sounding dialect, some space wind, a harpsichord stuffed with marshmallows or something, a majestic trumpet, some quick-paced synth playing, a few dance rhythms (of all things), a bit of wood flute, a couple of handclaps, another tune with female singing (something about “consciousness” and “dreaming”), some sort of distorted guitar here and there, and some general sci-fi soaring through space feelings.

Trying to analyze their sound is fairly difficult because it is not just one thing. If this group appeared in the Eighties they would either be the opening act on a Vangelis tour or, if they had a few more vocal songs, would be opening for A Flock of Seagulls. Their Eighties influences are not overly overt, but they sneak in from time to time. For a new age group they actually seem to have trouble doing traditional soft, gentle, slow, meditative, relaxing new age music (probably only the tune “Winter Solstice” truly fits that definition). They cannot seem to help themselves from getting rhythmic and groovin’ with a lot of joy and bounce in their step. These guys probably never even frown. They are just the people you would want to have over to a party, especially if they brought their keyboards along with them.

That is the most integrated bass-and-drums-line I have heard in years in the tune “Classic Story (Light Years Away).” Some of their fast synth playing is simply spectacular such as on “The Gift,” “Horizon” and “Mt. Emotion (Part 1).” There is not that much piano (compared to the amount of synth), but the piano is all very tasty -- “Apollo Skies” (slow), “The Gift” (funky), “Horizon” (low notes), and “Winter Solstice” (one normal and the other high and tinkly).

You could go online and listen to excerpts of some of the music to decide if you want to get the CD, but, honestly, I am not sure excerpts will do it justice. There is just too much happening within each piece. if you get to hear of their music and it strikes you as the least bit interesting, you might just as well get the whole CD and I doubt you will be disappointed. There is much to like here, and it definitely grows on you upon repeated listenings. Remember their name...Cosmo Frequency. We might all be listening to them well into the future.