Cobra Verde – ‘Easy Listening’
(Muscle Tone Records)
‘Easy Listening’, the latest CD from Cleveland’s Cobra
Verde, has been getting rave reviews and it’s not hard to see why. This is a
good collection of intelligently written rock songs influenced by Bowie, T. Rex,
Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Roxy Music, and the like. It’s artsy and down and dirty at
the same time, and rock critics just eat that sort of thing up. I guess I’m
just gonna’ have to go along with the pack on this one. ‘Easy Listening’ is an
excellent rock album. Since I come from more of a metal and punk background, my
preferences lean towards more aggressive numbers like “Terrorist” and “Modified
Frankenstein”, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a quieter tune like “To
Your Pretty Face” as well. The production is very good as well, although my
rock leanings make me wish it was a little rawer sounding like the band’s live
shows. Still, this is good stuff and highly recommended for those who enjoy
edgy rock ‘n’ roll but would like it delivered in the form of songs that show
some maturity. This should be in most of your better music emporiums, but
you can also order a copy from the band's
website. (Bob Ignizio)
What can I say, it’s a Cramps album. Like The Ramones,
Motorhead, and AC/DC these guys have made a career out of pretty much recording
the same album every time. Hey, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, although
sometimes the formula gets a bit stale. For the Cramps that happened with ‘Look
Ma, No Head’ and ‘Flamejob’. ‘Big Beat From Badsville’ found the band getting
back on track, and they’re still in the groove this time around. For those
unfamiliar with The Cramps, they pretty much play revved up rockabilly and
garage rock with a touch of sixties psychedelia. Overtop this musical
foundation vocalist Lux Interior spins tales of sex, drugs, and monsters
straight out of B movie land. In other words the perfect band for a trash freak
like me. “Big Black Witchcraft Book”, “Elvis Fucking Christ” and “Dopefiend
Boogie” are a few of the standout rockers to be found here, and “Taboo” is a
nice eerie sounding ballad. This isn’t a must own classic like ‘Songs The Lord
Taught Us’ or ‘Stay Sick’, but overall I liked ‘Fiends of Dope Island’ (Bob
Ignizio)
I had the chance of seeing Fistula live about a month or so ago before hearing
this CD. I was immediately blown away by the death/doom slowness and drilling
intensity they were blasting at the audience. I didn't expect this, especially
at a show with raw punk bands. The line-up that night was a phenomenal mixture
of the real extreme of the music spectrum, and was very enjoyable. Anyway, back
to the CD. Fistula, I believe is some part of a woman’s private parts or has
something to do with it (HOLD THE JOKES< PLEASE!). Musically they remind me of
a stoner Autopsy. Chris Refeirt’s old band meets Kyuss or something like that.
It even brings to mind the first 2 Paradise Lost releases when they were ultra
slow death/doom and not top 40 stars. The riffs are catchy and vocals growly.
Lyrically they seem to blame God for everything. Hopefully the next release
will have more vision in the lyric department. Musically, though, Fistula has
it happening. Very heavy and very LOUD!!! [Ed. - If you can't find this in the
stores, order from the Shifty Records website. And tell 'em Utter Trash sent ya'.](Mike
Salamone)
Speaker/Cranker pretty much never play the same song twice
in their live performances, so even if you’re a fan don’t expect to hear
anything too familiar. Overall this is a more mellow and spacey sounding affair
than how the band sounds live. For the most part Speaker/Cranker’s ambient side
gets emphasized on tracks like ‘Russian Winter’ and ‘Hold Your Head Down’, with
the group maintaining a nice balance between the organic and the electronic.
There are also a few uptempo numbers inclding ‘Auto Bondo‘ and ‘Shortstack
Lightning‘, but this is more the sort of album you’d want to listen to with
headphones than blast on your car stereo as you cruise down the street. Fans of
experimental seventies rock like Can, Neu, Amon Duul II, and Hawkwind should
find this appealing, and fans of ambient electronica like The Orb and Future
Sound of London might want to give this a listen as well. It’s stuff like this
that inspired modern electronic music in the first place, and you might just
enjoy a break from the same old repetitive dance beats. If you want to listen
before you buy, the entire album is available in streaming audio at the band’s
website. If you're in the
Cleveland area and want the actual physical item go to
My Mind's Eye Records, My
Generation, or Bent Crayon Records.
You can also order a copy from Bent Crayon
online.
‘Easy Listening’, the latest CD from Cleveland’s Cobra
Verde, has been getting rave reviews and it’s not hard to see why. This is a
good collection of intelligently written rock songs influenced by Bowie, T. Rex,
Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Roxy Music, and the like. It’s artsy and down and dirty at
the same time, and rock critics just eat that sort of thing up. I guess I’m
just gonna’ have to go along with the pack on this one. ‘Easy Listening’ is an
excellent rock album. Since I come from more of a metal and punk background, my
preferences lean towards more aggressive numbers like “Terrorist” and “Modified
Frankenstein”, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a quieter tune like “To
Your Pretty Face” as well. The production is very good as well, although my
rock leanings make me wish it was a little rawer sounding like the band’s live
shows. Still, this is good stuff and highly recommended for those who enjoy
edgy rock ‘n’ roll but would like it delivered in the form of songs that show
some maturity. This should be in most of your better music emporiums, but
you can also order a copy from the band's
What can I say, it’s a Cramps album. Like The Ramones,
Motorhead, and AC/DC these guys have made a career out of pretty much recording
the same album every time. Hey, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, although
sometimes the formula gets a bit stale. For the Cramps that happened with ‘Look
Ma, No Head’ and ‘Flamejob’. ‘Big Beat From Badsville’ found the band getting
back on track, and they’re still in the groove this time around. For those
unfamiliar with The Cramps, they pretty much play revved up rockabilly and
garage rock with a touch of sixties psychedelia. Overtop this musical
foundation vocalist Lux Interior spins tales of sex, drugs, and monsters
straight out of B movie land. In other words the perfect band for a trash freak
like me. “Big Black Witchcraft Book”, “Elvis Fucking Christ” and “Dopefiend
Boogie” are a few of the standout rockers to be found here, and “Taboo” is a
nice eerie sounding ballad. This isn’t a must own classic like ‘Songs The Lord
Taught Us’ or ‘Stay Sick’, but overall I liked ‘Fiends of Dope Island’ (Bob
Ignizio)
I had the chance of seeing Fistula live about a month or so ago before hearing
this CD. I was immediately blown away by the death/doom slowness and drilling
intensity they were blasting at the audience. I didn't expect this, especially
at a show with raw punk bands. The line-up that night was a phenomenal mixture
of the real extreme of the music spectrum, and was very enjoyable. Anyway, back
to the CD. Fistula, I believe is some part of a woman’s private parts or has
something to do with it (HOLD THE JOKES< PLEASE!). Musically they remind me of
a stoner Autopsy. Chris Refeirt’s old band meets Kyuss or something like that.
It even brings to mind the first 2 Paradise Lost releases when they were ultra
slow death/doom and not top 40 stars. The riffs are catchy and vocals growly.
Lyrically they seem to blame God for everything. Hopefully the next release
will have more vision in the lyric department. Musically, though, Fistula has
it happening. Very heavy and very LOUD!!! [Ed. - If you can't find this in the
stores, order from the Shifty Records 
Speaker/Cranker pretty much never play the same song twice
in their live performances, so even if you’re a fan don’t expect to hear
anything too familiar. Overall this is a more mellow and spacey sounding affair
than how the band sounds live. For the most part Speaker/Cranker’s ambient side
gets emphasized on tracks like ‘Russian Winter’ and ‘Hold Your Head Down’, with
the group maintaining a nice balance between the organic and the electronic.
There are also a few uptempo numbers inclding ‘Auto Bondo‘ and ‘Shortstack
Lightning‘, but this is more the sort of album you’d want to listen to with
headphones than blast on your car stereo as you cruise down the street. Fans of
experimental seventies rock like Can, Neu, Amon Duul II, and Hawkwind should
find this appealing, and fans of ambient electronica like The Orb and Future
Sound of London might want to give this a listen as well. It’s stuff like this
that inspired modern electronic music in the first place, and you might just
enjoy a break from the same old repetitive dance beats. If you want to listen
before you buy, the entire album is available in streaming audio at the band’s
