SOUL COUGHING - EL OSO
El Oso, the third record from New York foursome Soul Coughing is both a step into new territory and a return to the familiar. Produced by Tchad Blake, it has the same sort of hip-hop flavor to it that Ruby Vroom (also produced by Blake) did, without so much of the poppy sheen of Irresistable Bliss. No Raymond Scott samples here, folks. This is definitely a darker, even more complex Soul Coughing. This time around, drummer Yuval Gabay - already known as one of the best live hip-hop drummers on the planet really gets to show his skills, sounding like a drum machine in the hands of a European Junglist. He is so good at imitating the drum & bass precussion techniques that he actually sounds like a machine! As for the lyrics, singer M. Doughty is apparently still getting a lot of his inspiration from recreational self-medication, given the half-legible lyrics to songs like "Misinformed" and "Pensacola". Of course, half the fun is trying to figure out exactly what the hell Doughty is saying as the words spill from his mouth like coins from a slot machine. These songs will stay in your head too, no matter how you interpret (or misinterpret) the lyrics. Something like "We don't use words like that - St. Louise is Listening" aren't easily forgettable. So while no song jumps out, grabs you and demands your attention like their hit "Super Bon Bon" did two years ago, nearly every song here is full of Soul Coughing's hipster brand of coolness, which means slyly slurred poetry and nonsensical words superimposed over trippy keyboard lines, samples, bass, and now, wickedly syncopated drums. These days, when so many people are talking about the convergence of rock with styles such as hip-hop and drum & bass it's nice to see someone actually doing something about it - and doing it well.
Review by Aram at: Frames Per Second
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