Cos' second effort is a bit of an odd duck. As an opening move, the humorously titled 'Perhaps Next Record' starts off with a short primitive mid 1970's electronics piece in the Gottsching / Pinhas mold. This is followed by yet another short piece, this time the title track, a tribal African rock work, a style which had gained some popularity in the Northern European underground during this era. Then starting with 'Nog Verder', new keys man Marc Hollander (later to form Aksak Maboul) pulls out his trusty old Farfisa, fuzzes it all out, and basically we now have introduced early Soft Machine into the mix. And yes indeed, this is the album where Cos went whole hog (hippo?) for the Canterbury thing. Once Pascale Son brings forth her unique enunciated scat vocals onto the mix, it finally become clear that this in fact a Cos album after all. Meanwhile none other than Marc Moulin is at the control desk, and oh most certainly he was an influence. There's no escaping those Placebo like deep jazz grooves. And that's your story line for Viva Boma. Somewhere between Postaeolian Train Robbery, Placebo, and National Health, one will discover this album under the blanket. It's a bit rich in sound, not overly deep in thought, and the type of album that's instantly enjoyable for even your dinner party guests.
Ownership: 1997 Musea (CD). Historical liner notes. Four bonus tracks.
8/29/97 (acquired); 3/11/17 (review); 11/7/25
Cos' debut from 1974 comes after many years of performing and writing, and as such, is a very mature opening move. The group's background, and home base as it were, is definitely from the jazz school, though they had recently broken into rock forms - influenced by the French groups Magma and Zao, and fellow countrymen Arkham. It is Zao where you find the closest comparison, though Cos are not Zeuhl in the slightest, and Canterbury is an easy backup reference, though not entirely accurate either. Truth is, Cos were their own thing, always a trait worth admiring. Pascale Son (wife of bandleader Daniel Schell) strictly sings in the scat style, where enunciation, intonation, and pitch are key to the composition. The tracks are all well composed, and thought out, and played to perfection. And it rocks out especially towards the end of the disc. Not a weak moment to be found, though it does lack the extreme highs a masterpiece calls for. All the same, an exquisite work for fans of progressive jazz rock.
The predecessor group to Cos was Classroom, who contribute four tracks to the Musea CD. These compositions are clearly more indebted to jazz, but are certainly the same type of band in a non-rock setting.
Ownership: 1990 Musea (CD). Booklet with historical liner notes. Four bonus tracks as noted above. The CD omits 'Karbok', apparently a more commercial effort, because of bandleader Daniel Schell's objection to it. The cover art is the second original cover as originally released by IBC.
1991 (acquired); 3/7/10; 10/12/15 (review)
10/12/15 (new entry)
Reissue on Wah-Wah 2014
ReplyDeleteOops - typo. Good catch. Thank you!
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