 Cobra Verde
Nightlife
CD Review by Todd Weber
In the
post-grunge era of rock-n-roll there aren’t
many bands that have a "makeup and hair
styling" credit on their CD jackets.
Certainly nubile hotties like Brittany Spears and
Christina Aguilera have "stylists," but
no legitimate ‘90s rock-n-roll concern
(except the ageless David Bowie - it has
to be the makeup) would worry about makeup
and hair. Right?
Wrong. Cleveland
glammers Cobra Verde have brought theater back to
rock-n-roll, and their immensely clever brand of
art rock is vociferously displayed on their
latest release, "Nightlife."
And their hair
looks great.
But as much as
is put into their image, Cobra Verde has put out
a record that is pure substance. The opening cut
begins with a tense intro of frontman John
Petkovic desperately vocalizing "How does it
feel to feel?" over a monotone synth pulse,
followed by the bone-crunching entrance of
guitar, drums and bass. From this point on
it’s clear that this is no ordinary rock
record. A myriad of styles and ideas collide
throughout 14 tracks in what ends up an
intriguing and extremely fun disk.
Petkovic and
co-producer Don Depew use a conglomerate of
musicians, varied song structures and unique
instrumentation on "Nightlife," giving
each song its own life and making this record
impossible to pigeonhole. Somehow synthesizers,
guitars, keyboards, saxophones, tape loops and an
occasional woodwind all come together without
making the music sound pretentious.
Cobra Verde
makes no apologies about flirting with the
avant-garde, but the core of this band is what
has been driving rock bands since the white man
first ripped off the blues; guitar, bass and
drums. Although "Nightlife" isn’t
a "guitar record," the edgy guitars are
almost always in the forefront. The guitar work
of Petkovic, Depew and Doug Dillard ranges from
all out wall-of-sound chord crunch to twisted,
screaming leads to spacey echoes. The bass,
provided mostly by Depew, has that good, constant
fist-in-the-chest rumble. Depew knows just when
to follow and when to lead the melody. The
drummer, Dave Swanson on most tracks, plays very
hard and with relentless attack.
The songs, all
penned by Petkovic, are of tawdry love,
fog-filled dreams and the seedy side of the
night. Filled with vivid imagery, they’re as
good to read as to listen to. Some favorite
lines: "You and me and the bed: I feel the
chaos of your kiss" from
"Conflict;" and "Save the song,
kill the singer. Damn the saint and kiss the
sinner. Grant a wish to the wishful thinker. Kill
the dream and save the dreamer." from
"Crashing in a Plane."
Petkovic’s
voice is full of drama, and it’s emotive
qualities bring to mind Bowie and Bauhaus’
Peter Murphy.
Some
"Nightlife" highlights:
"Heaven in
the Gutter." A full-on, tension-filled rock
blast featuring wailing guitars and a funky growl
of a bass line.
"Crashing
in a Plane." Lots of heavy chords and a
Cars-esque melody. Also features some horn work
that borders on psychotic by Tom Waits sideman
Ralph Carney.
"Casino."
Creepy verses surround a metalloid chorus. There
are a lot of great things going on here, and you
can almost pick up something new with each
listen.
"Between
the Seasons." Shimmering guitars and
synthesizers highlight this trippy, swirling
flight.
Stylistically
and creatively, "Nightlife" is all over
the map. Few will listen to this record the first
time and put it on their "all-time"
list. But this is a deep and intricate record,
and its wonderful subtleties can only be
appreciated by more and more spins. But yet with
all its artsy and avant-garde leanings, it still
rocks.
Email Todd Weber
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