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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kokopelli-kosheen continue to change, 9 Aug 2003
The eagerly anticipated follow up to Resist has been in the pipeline for a while now, but is the wait worth it? In a word, yes. Fans were promised "the dark edge of kosheen" in regards to the next LP and Kosheen have produced the goods. Sure there are happy "pop/rock" tracks, like first single All In My Head and Suzy May for example. But Kosheen have NOT sold out but have evolved.The appeal of Kosheen for me is that there music is original, different, somewhat genre less and more importantly, good. Kokopelli is all of the above. Kosheen's smooth trademark sound is still as present today as it was in Resist the band's debut album. Avid Drum and Bass fans may be disappointed that this record lacks the Drum and Bass content that Resist contained but each track still demonstrates the band's d n b influences. Tracks like "Swamp" for example, which has no vocal content stays true to Kosheen's d n b roots. As does Ages and Wish. But Kokopelli as a whole is a rockier album. This is a natural progression for the band. Anyone who has seen them live would tell you that there strengths lie in acoustic rock. Also, tracks on Resist such as Hungry and Gone for example contained the rock guitar elements present on Kokopelli. Kosheen have never hidden their "rock" side, so the rock characteristics of this album shouldn't really come as surprise. Perhaps if the band had stuck to their more breakbeat sound they would have been criticised for re-hashing the same old-same old. So it makes more sense therefore to evolve their sound. The key to success after all is introducing new fresh ideas and adapting. This is what Kosheen seem to have done. Sian's vocals are as strong and as haunting as ever and this LP illustrates the full diversity of her voice. The album is rife with infectious guitar rifts as well, revealing the musical talents of Darren and Markee extend beyond the decks. Stand out tracks on the album are Wasting My Time, Recovery, Crawling and Avalanche. All are down and dirty rock tracks but still contain the dark drum and bass influences. It would be criminal if Recovery isn't released as a single, as the remix potential is infinite with this song (my personal fave). Like Resist every track on Kokopelli has the individuality that allows that track to stand on its own. So Kokopelli should cater for everyone. Overall the genre of music Kosheen fits in may have changed but who cares. At the end of the day this album, just like its predecessor, is amazingly good. Good music is all people should be interested in, not what genre it fits in....enjoy.
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