Chaos and The Cosmos is an art rock band, based out of Seattle, WA. They have recently released their debut album, Our Song, from their Soundcloud site: https://frobba.wixsite.com/chaos/music. As a fan of Moon Letters, I wanted to hear and review this new album by an interesting new group, with John Allday, the keyboardist for Moon Letters, as one of its founders. John plays great keyboards for Moon Letters and that continues with Chaos and the Cosmos.
The band is the musical vehicle of composers Paul Langer and John Allday. Their sound harkens back to the classic melodic prog genre, with elements of space rock, dream pop, some classical music, and electronica.
Astronaut Scott Kelley played Paul’s solo album, High Plains Drifter, on the STS-103 International Space Station in 1999. That was a signal that he needed to make space – oriented music, his primary goal. Our Song also features the talents of a string trio. Phil Hirschi, who plays cello, whose credits include playing in version two of Mahavishnu Orchestra, appearing on the albums Apocalypse (1974) and Visions of the Emerald Beyond (1975). Rachel Nesvig, who plays violin, has worked with rapper Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, The Who, Father John Misty, Sir Mix A Lot, Evanescence, Naomi Judd, and Chris Botti. Aleida Gehrels, who plays viola, has toured with Macklemore and has worked with Father John Misty, Perfume Genius, Abney Park, and Amy Grant.
Every song on Our Song is a unique and wonderful contribution to modern progressive rock. It is full of fun, energy, and at times, funny lines of lyrics. Especially, “House of Love”, which at times reminds me a little of The Claypool/Lennon Delirium, but with much better keyboards. In addition to that, I hear influences from ELO, with the strings, flute from Traffic, and keyboards from Vangelis. That creates a wonderful mix of music, which will entertain and carry you through the transition from winter to spring. You can even hear a little influence of Ennio Morricone, especially in “House of Love”. The pace and regal essence of Pink Floyd- like sounds, permeate the content of the music. Another blessing to enjoy.
Please pick up this wonderful debut Our Song, start for Chaos and The Cosmos. It is a myriad of space adventures and dreams, rolled into a fine recording. Enjoy!
Track list:
- The Singularity – 5:46
- U Go – Go – 5:31
- Heart Flies – 6:38
- Prologue – 2:41
- Our Song – 4:45
- Floating in the Atmosphere – 1:31
- House of Love – 12:55
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You Tube and music videos: