Cosyland
Laid Back
Brother Music.
SCQ Rating: 75%
As electronic music continues
to infiltrate the mainstream, we’re seeing a generation ahead of even the early
hipsters reclaiming the bands that pioneered machine-music in the first place.
During a time when the Museum of Modern Art in New York City is honouring
Kraftwerk’s entire catalog disc-by-disc, even Danish duo Laid Back, who had a
string of popular songs in the early 80s, have reemerged to toast their
influence.
John Guldberg and
Tim Stahl never disappeared entirely from the music scene but Cosyland offers a
fresh spin on the retrospective mentality, taking rarities from their early 80s
analog tapes, tweaking them appropriately, and unleashing them onto a new
audience. Reintroducing Laid Back’s sound proves an immediate no-brainer; the
likes of “Cocaine Cool” (an extended cut over the version that premiered on a
2010 compilation) and “Get Laid Back” present a gorgeous merger of clean
electronics that purists will bask in and island accents that prevent the duo
from sounding sterile. Add whispery but well-mixed vocals sporadically into the
flow and Laid Back assert themselves as entirely viable in 2012. The fixed
rhythm of “Get Laid Back” allows some light space-disco impulses to rumble
beneath while “Cocaine Cool” bubbles over some light crooning like an ideal
pre-club anthem.
And although the
title track is among their best examples of sleek electro-pop on display, its
double-inclusion (the other being the video edit) introduces the overarching
issue with Cosyland: there isn’t enough here to satiate even an EP’s worth.
Having removed the lengthier but near-identical “Cosyland” mix, this release
expires in less than twenty minutes, which feels particularly disappointing
because what’s here is genuinely fantastic. Had Laid Back added some newly
written material to these archival beauties – now that would’ve been a real
return-to-form.
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