Customer Reviews

Koop Islands (Chi)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Koop Islands" is the third album from Stockholm duo Koop and is a journey through reminiscent jazz styling with an exotic twist.
Where "altz For Koop" was steeped in a modern - and modernist - take on 60s jazz and swedish songstressess from the time (Monica Zetterlunds name was mentioned more times than the group thought was fair), "Koop Islands" has - despite its name - very little to do with romanticising the Stockholm archipelago. Rather, it goes much, much further south west, all the way down the caribbean for inspiration. That's where you'll find "Koop Islands" on their imaginary world map.
Oscar Simonsson and Magnus Zingmark bring experiences from their travels in the Caribbean to create this unique blend. The guest vocalists on the album are a gift adding graceful tones to the album.
The first track "Koop island blues" features the vocals of Norwegian singer songwriter Ane Brun, who also co wrote the song. Her breathy vocals add to the swing drum rhythm and clarinet glissandos to create a cool ambience.
Similarly, the tracks "Forces" and "Darling" featuring the vocals of Earl Zinger are like a cheeky swing set of the 1930's that simply compels you to tap your foot.
One of the two instrumental tracks on the album is "Moonbounce", a song that maintains your attention for the three minutes with tinkling piano keys, jazz flute and beatnik bongo rhythms.
Perhaps the coolest song on the album is "Beyond the son" which again features Earl Zinger performing spoken word on top of jazz accompaniment. You feel as though you are invading his personal thoughts, his confessions with the walking vibraphone.
A deliciously classy slice of jazz fuelled pop,"Come To Me", the first single is another glorious treat for the ears.
Unashamedly old fashioned,this track sounds as if its been beamed in from some 1950s parallel dimension; an all swinging, all dancing affair complete with sultry female vocals, waltz time drum brushes, strutting bass lines and what sounds like Glenn Miller resurrected blasting out the big band brass interjections with superb style.
The album is a refreshing change from the typical electro sounds that feature driving beats and house riffs, bringing some much needed Caribbean sunshine to these cold winter months.

Koop islands is a magnificent CD. It is more jazzy than their first offering which is fine by me. There are several standouts on this recording such as "Wherever there is you", "I see a different you" and "Let's Elope". The other songs are good as well, but those three are classics. As I said earlier, the CD is more jazzy than the first one, but if you liked the first one, you should love this one as well. As usual, Koop puts their magnificent touch on another effort! I just wish they came out with new music more often.

I first heard Koop on Radio Paradise (via iTunes), where the first two cuts from Koop Islands are in rotation. This album is kind of '40s swing with an occasional Caribbean spin and some very modern lyrics. Since getting this, I've bought Koop's other two albums, and also sent this album to my 78-year-old uncle for his birthday. And I deeply regret missing Koop when they played recently at Bimbo's 360 in San Francisco; I just hope I can catch them live soon.

Koop takes off right from where they left off. Koop Islands is a very refined album that uses the new jazz/electronic sound extremely efficiently. This album is much more upbeat than Waltz for Koop, using the big band sound of the 30's & 40's as well as a sultry jazzy sound. Yukimi Nagano is back (Summer Sun, her most notable work of vocals from Waltz for Koop) and lends her beautiful vocal talents in a few songs. A VERY feel good album that can be played while relaxing alone or when hosting a gathering. This album has been out for over a year now but is now barely being released domestically in the U.S. One note, the cover had to be changed from Koop(two males) being on the cover to two females on the U.S. cover, which is i guess to avoid controversy or more directly homeosexuality. Also this U.S. release gets an additional track, a "Come to Me" remix. Highly recommended album. You'll enjoy it :D!!!

Wow! Awesome album. It may be better than Waltz for Koop which was just about perfect. Koop Islands continues that direction. Intelligent, sophisticated, smooth and fun Old School Jazz that sounds fresh and modern. Very talented group and I respect them immensely, but what were they thinking with that cover?!!! If there was an ambiguous homesexual message with the last album cover, it's crystal clear now.

Koop's follow up to the stellar "Waltz for Koop" lives up to the hype. It's been a while since that album, but the sound hasn't changed much at all, and this album is pretty much more of the same from the Swedish duo.

"Koop Island Blues" is a beautiful lament, featuring gorgeous vocals by Ane Brun, the only new vocalist in the lineup. It's upbeat, but mellow and even sorrowful; great stuff.

"Come to Me" is a chippy, upbeat song with vocals by returning vocalist Yukimi Nagamo, and she is just as good as ever. Tells a story of a girl who seems to be optimistic despite just getting over a failed relationship.

"Forces...Darling" features Earl Zinger, who's back for more after the last album. He and Nagamo make great rhythms with their voices, they work very well together.

"I See A Different You" features Nagamo again, and it REALLY shows off her vocal range. The title is pretty self-explanatory. A great little upbeat number.

"Let's Elope" brings back Mikael Sundin again for a more sensual feel. A very smooth piece that somehow manages to remain as innocent as possible despite the suggestive title.

"The Moonbounce": Koop lets loose! An energetic number with a catchy vocal sample overtop of lots of solos and rhythms. Good pace and very cute! (Yes, you can call music cute!) A great instrumental piece that'll get you moving.

"Beyond the Son" is a very interesting tune that may not work for some, but does for me. It's Earl Zinger reading a letter overtop of some slow beats and rhythms. It's fantastic, the letter he reads is so....interesting. Seems to be a letter to a good friend in Sweden from London. Zinger's voice is VERY unique and quite comforting. It's just the sort of letter you'd love to get from a suave friend such as him.

"Whenever There Is You" features Nagamo again, and serves as a nice jazzy love song. Great vocals again, and backing that is smooth as silk.

"Drum Rhythm A (Music For Ballet Exercises)" is the only one that didn't really cut it with me. A xylophone dances overtop of a fairly simple beat. A bit of artistic meandering, in my opinion, this song should have been built upon to make it a better instrumental piece.

All in all, "Koop Islands" is slightly (and I mean just slightly) more upbeat than "Waltz for Koop", but the sound remains the same for the most part. You still get the same feeling in this album. You feel like you're floating through the music. It's comforting, its smooth, and the production/engineering is TOP NOTCH. Truly wonderful relaxing music, I highly recommend this.

My only major beef is the same as I had with "Waltz". The album is WAY too short. Paying full price for 35 minutes of music is not so hot. If you're gonna charge full price, then fill up your CD! If "Waltz" and "Islands" were combined, they'd easily make one of the best jazz albums ever made.

Unbelievably smooth and well crafted music.

Koop's method is to mix their lyrics performed by guest artists with sampled beats and instrumentation. This means that their albums can take some time to produce and can also at times lack a strong cohesion. However, this album is the most cohesive of their discography, and in it, you can see that their technique has been polished to a high lustre.

This is my favourite of all Koop's albums, and I can not recommend it enough. It is an intelligently done fusion of jazz and big-band style moods respectfully and thoughtfully melded with their sound sampling techniques.

This album delivers a sunny, carefree mood conveyed with beautifully rendered vocals, but with enough light and shade to keep the listener's interest - all mixed together into a pleasing cocktail that is as smooth as a valium daiquiri.

If I were forced to choose, my favourite song on the album would be "Come To Me", and happily, there is a fantastic bonus-version at the end featuring the BBC Big Band, which really brings a full visceral quality to the the song that can only be achieved through real instruments.

The least convincing songs are "Beyond the Son", and "Drum Rhythm A (Music for Ballet Excercises)". The former due to my personal taste, and the latter because it is so far out of character with the rest of the album, it is like some accidental detour or B-Side which made it onto the final album.

This CD is music to drive long distances to, and to make you happy on a cloudy day, but more importantly, has pleased at many a dinner party since its purchase, and for that reason alone is worth the price.

I'm a big fan of Koop - I was a bit turned off at my first listen (especially when compared to Waltz), but each time I run through it I like and appreciate it more and more. Isn't that the hallmark of really good music?

Koop is like 50's music beamed from earth, that has finally been captured by a spaceship radio in the distant future except you get to hear it now! Smart and fun. Break out the bubbly and popcorn.

I am a huge fan of Waltz for Koop and all the remixes that followed and I must commend Koop for an amazing new record. The only unfortunate thing is that the album is way too short, but it is a must have regardless of the length!!