Musical Discovery: Cocorosie
Anyone who still reads at my “old location” knows that I’ve been having a bit of a family crisis. So yesterday while driving to the Portsmouth Regional Hospital, I was fussing with the radio, trying to find some kind of music that didn’t suck. This task is often challenging in this area, as they tend to play the same five Pink Floyd songs, and a mix of recent popular dreck. (I most often listen to 96.7 since they tend to have a pretty enjoyable mix of 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.)
However, periodically I’ll tune in to 106.1 - Portsmouth Community Radio - in time to catch some DJ’s set that introduces me to the interesting, oddball stuff I so thoroughly enjoy sometimes. Yesterday was one of those happy accident days. The two charming ladies setting up the records at the station that day played a unique track called “Japan” by a duo known as Cocorosie.
My immediate impression from the first 30 seconds or so was that Lamb Chop had grown up and started dropping a lot of acid. In two words: Far fuckin Out. As it went on I started to pick out the warm and quirky lyrics themselves, and the choice of instruments that fit the theme. The tune was relatively simple, but that wasn’t a shortcoming, it was a feature that made the song more accessible. At one point the song faded out, and I thought that the next song on the playlist was a lovely, operatic vocal song with minimalist instrumental background. As it turned out, that was an intermezzo of sorts. It was such a striking musical experience that I managed to remember the artist and song title hours later. (A rare feat for me, no matter how much I like what I hear.)
A quick googlin’ turned up one of my favorite lyrics sites: Always on the Run.net. They’ve got a brief bio, lyrics galore, and a couple MP3s available from the group (available from a small icon by their name on the main page).
Hit it up, check it out, and let me know what you think.
The obligatory “if you like” list:
The Flaming Lips
Ween
Poe
That one operatic song from The Fifth Element
Modest Mouse
Lamb Chop, grown up, on acid (not the actual band named Lambchop, mind you)
Hairnet Paradise
Rainbowarriors
