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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Patchy but intriguing, 25 Sep 2007
I'll start with a disclaimer: aside from this record, which I found after Googling the lyrics of a track I heard in a shop, I know nothing about Koop. I don't know anything about the band or their music and have no idea what genre they belong to - 'Koop Islands' isn't the kind of thing I'd normally listen to. But what I can tell you is that this is a likeable, interesting little gem of an album, and well worth investigating no matter what your usual taste.
There are obvious jazz influences throughout; the album exudes a laid-back vibe, with lots of xylophones and chimes creating an almost tropical atmosphere. It's true that much of the record sounds like the kind of background music you'd expect to hear in a fashionable bar or restaurant, but scratch the slick surface and there's something more intriguing. 'Koop Islands Blues' has a dark, sinister undertone, made even more beguiling by the cool, detached vocals. 'Come to Me' and 'I See a Different You' repeat the formula with a warmer, more upbeat feel, to charming effect, while 'Forces... Darling' shows a little variation with its saxophone melodies and military drums.
The beautiful, haunting single 'Koop Islands Blues' is by far the best thing about this album. Some of the other tracks feel very much like filler, particularly the instrumentals and those with male vocals - a cool female voice somehow suits the relaxed, smooth music far better. That said, I'm glad I came across 'Koop Islands', and if this style of music is off the beaten track for you - as it was for me - I'd say it's worth giving this album a try.
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19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
No shakes second time round, 5 Oct 2006
Make no mistake this album is as good and, in my opinion actually better than waltz for Koop which is about as high a praise as can be given. People talk about 'difficult' second albums once an expectation has been set and I must admit I was anticipating the follow up to waltz with fairly luke warm enthusiasm thinking that it couldn't be better and that it would more likely represent a selection of lightweight, watered down derivative jazz musings.
I should have had more faith as what you get here is 9 tracks of the highest class, sticking with Yukimi Nagano and Earl Zinger was probably the wisest move the Koop boys have made and it has paid in spades. Kicking off with Koop Island blues, a slow, moody cut with simmering vibes, the album builds from there on in, Come To Me is an infectious and uplifting piece of swinging jazz which would have been the tune of the summer had it come out a couple of months earlier.
Forces....Darling is probably my personal favourite, with Nagano and Zinger teaming up to produce a sensational piece of thundering heavy persussive jazz. Let's elope is another memorable track with a vocalist sounding very much like morrissey, adding yet more depth to the set.
Zinger is again on fine form for Beyond the Son, a contemplative piece of reflective poetry conjuring up deserted rainy london streets, it's evocative and nourishing and exactly what you want from good music.
At 9 tracks in length it flys by and is over before you know it but I'd rather be left wanting more than watching the clock. If mincing around in cabaret slap and a daft frock produces these kind of results I'm off down Dorothy Perkins now!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
mark. bolton.england., 27 Mar 2007
Curiosity after listening to a certain fabric conditioner commercial on the box led me to research the net and to my immense delight led me to discover the musical talents of the fantastic but previously unknown to me group KOOP. Moreover the discovery of the vocal talents of Ane Brun and the sublime miss Nagano !! What can I say about the beatiful delivery of the lyric in "different you" and the quite uplifting " come to me" but Brilliant !!
If you are a lover of astrud gilberto, nancy wilson, carmen mcrae, et al and all that was great about the music of the era those girls recorded in you will surely be pleasently rewarded by purchasing Koop Islands which falls somewhere between an hommage to that era and the recreation of a great musical genre for a new generation. Well done all and I eagrely await the groups next efforts. If there fame continues to grow maybe a venue for a concert can be arranged in the north of england too, as London is a bit far afield to see them perform their solitary gig in this country this tour.We in the north also appreciate the finer points of bossa nova and all things brazilian.Albeit via Sweden and Japan. More power to Koop and the delicious Yukimi Nagano. Music for a summers day, Aaaahh !!
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