Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
We are rainbow warriors, April 9, 2007
Cocorosie have always been weird -- their first album was utterly bizarre, and so was their second.
But their creepy freakfolk sound is taken a step further in their third album, "The Adventures Of Ghosthorse And Stillborn." The sister duo's sound is more polished and complex in this one, but remains eerie, bizarre and enticing -- like a fantastical child's dream.
It opens with Bianca crooning "Of aaaaaalllll the white horses," over rattly maraca, keening guitar, chittering birds and a smooth keyboard melody. But by nature it's hip-hop oriented, with some childlike rapping:
"He's moved a little nearer/to the master of our laughter/to the master of our song... then we gathered in a circle/still drown the rainbow fire/burning amber's not united/we remember mystical beauty." It's gloriously catchy, but kept from being merely poppy by all those odd sounds and extra melodies.
Things get less openly catchy with the songs that follow -- skittering ambient rap, clattering pop tunes that are crammed with keyboard tones and scratchy samples, music-box ballads, wistful little meandering freakfolk tunes, and delicate guitar pop with a soaring keyboard edge.
The music in "The Adventures Of Ghosthorse And Stillborn" is almost TOO full at times, like a dusty room filled with old dolls and ornate toys. But it's never predictable -- there's always a weird new melody draped in oddball sounds for them. You never even have the chance to get bored.
The instrumentation is a bit more electronically oriented this time around, with waves of organ and keyboard over the smooth piano, rattly drums and ringing guitar. Sometimes these girls throw in some random samples (is that a duck?), bicycle bells, and some toy instruments -- it's a little cluttered, but it makes every song wildly unpredictable.
The songs are just as unpredictable -- sometimes silly, somtimes somber. They're filled with crystals, rollercoasters, werewolves, witches, wanting to go to Japan, and girls who talk to geese. All these are sung in Bianca's versatile voice, which can flip from opera to rap, and back to a high, rambling crack-pixie voice.
Cocorosie go into stranger, eerie territory with their polished third album, a checkered mix of freakfolk and crazy pop. Definitely a must-listen.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting..., December 16, 2008
My friend introduced me to CocoRosie and I have been addicted. I'm pretty open to music and you'll need to be to get this sister duo. Their music is magical, spiritual and beautiful, although it is mostly about darker times in these ladies' lives. I can relate and there are almost hidden sayings of hope and inspiration throughout. If you want to try something different this is definitely different, I was pleasantly pleased. :)
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Timeless & Gorgeous - A True Find, October 16, 2007
I have no history of Cocorosie, and approached this album without hearing a single song off their earlier two albums.
First off, I have to say, this is one of the most beautiful album covers I've ever seen. I am a huge fan of album art as I feel its a very integral part of every album, and the time and effort spent on this particular album cover is of particular note. As a side note, the cover works especially well as Desktop Wallpaper if you can find it in HQ - its just so beautiful.
The music - well, many people have compared this to Tori Amos and Bjork, but that isn't right. I think comparing anything to Bjork these days is an insult anyway, as Bjork is no longer the revolutionary she used to be. This year, the toss up for me is between Cocorosie's album and the one by Bat for Lashes (you should get that album as well). The music on this CD is very atmospheric, but very Vaudeville as well - it goes from operatic to minimalistic all within one song. As a musical genre, I guess this would still fall under 'alternative pop' but that isn't really the best way to describe it. The one thing I CAN say is that both lead vocalists sound amazing - hitting every note just right.
This is also a very dark album. Very little joy or happiness here. In fact, within the first six songs I was entirely spent and quite low in spirits. Is this something thats on every Cocorosie album? I don't know, but over here I was left thinking that they should have added on a few happy tunes at least.
If you like deep, dark goth music thats accessible and even 'pretty', then this is the one for you.
The best way to describe it is - if you could imagine Neil Gaiman's 'The Sandman' set to music, this would be that CD. Hope this helps. Also, I've got to say that this holds up beautifully with repeat plays - I'm currently playing this, Bat for Lashes, and Jeff Buckley almost exclusively.
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by CocoRosie 
