How’s that, you figure? Well, COCOB’s taken instrumental post-rock where it needs to go by completely eliminating all the typical boring moments from their formula. “Giving
Even when the guitars, so effervescent and ubiquitous, drop out as they do near the end of “Lawns,” Jon Mueller’s drums take their place. Mueller marches along at the same steady pace while the band offers their vocals for once, oohing and ehhing in a funny, but compelling arrangement completely devoid of distinguishable words.
Chris Rosenau’s guitar riffage is constant in the album’s four movements, only finally terminating whenever a track is finished, usually playing much faster than when it began. COCOB have recorded, with a barrage of sunshine-through-water-sounding guitars and plinky-dink percussion and electronic instruments, the sound of a runner’s energy expended mid-race. He accelerates and occasionally decelerates, but is always moving forward in his trial for first-place glory.
Listening to “Giving” suggests that the band might have even rubbed off on Volcano Choir co-conspirator and fellow Wisconsin-scener Justin Vernon’s new sound in a good way. Perhaps their keen sense of accelerated pacing helped cut a path for two of Bon Iver’s strongest tracks. While listening to this album, I’m reminded of the cataclysmic bass saxophone girth of “Perth” and the carefully climactic arrangement of “Holocene.” So COCOB earns bonus points for “giving” (sorry) Vernon the influence.
This more-aggressive formula, toned with both radiant collapses and crescendos, makes for a great half-hour of listening that reaches for awe-inspiring heights and tremendous explosive sounds. Kind of like a fireworks display. Wait, isn’t that what explosions in the sky are? —Matt Carney
