First, a confession. Though genuinely enamoured with Kosheen singles like 'Hide U' and 'Catch', I was not one of the half a million or so people who fell head over heels for the band's debut album 'Resist'. It wasn't that it was a bad album, just that the steely soundscapes and coldly introspective atmospheres were hard to love. Also, it felt like an anachronism: an attempt at re-capturing the surly ambience of the early 90s 'Bristol sound'.
Happy was I to hear, then, that the trio - switch-doctors Mark Substance and Darren Decoder and vocalist Sian Evans - had changed tack for their second album. Upon hearing the new single, 'All In My Head', curiosity switched to ambivalence.
The distinctly indie-fied sound of the record initially grated (oh no, not another dance act picking up guitars) but the almost optimistic nature of the tune grabbed and the epic production values intrigued. The question was raised: was this a whole new direction, or just a one-off?
Upon listening to the rest of the LP - titled 'Kokopelli', after a hunched South American deity who played the flute and wandered between villages with bags of songs on his back to keep everyone dancing - you quickly realise that this is no one off: Kosheen have changed forever.
The high-octane drum & bass riddims once associated with the band are not just reduced; they are gone, replaced by an album full of what sound suspiciously like real, grown-up, songs. The boys have thrown a spot of programming into the mix, but this is no longer Kosheen's principal rhythmic fuel. Now they have live drums; and percussion; and guitars; and production so expansive that you feel they wouldn't be out of place as a U2 support slot.
The interesting thing about this radical transformation is that while it may sound dubious on paper (especially to many of Kosheen's clubbing fans), it actually sounds pretty good on record. Simply, it suits them.
The naysayers may mutter that Kosheen's new sound is a product of major label pressure, but 'Kokopelli' sounds too real and too poignant to be overly contrived. They have avoided many of the crossover clichéso it doesn't feel they're trying overly hard to be rock stars, or just throwing a few squealing chords into their songs to gain some rock cred. They sound like they mean it.
Fans will be relieved to hear that they have maintained some connections with the last LP - solid songwriting, strong attitude and a brooding ambience, for example - which make the next-level jump appear more natural and organic. The main fallopian tube that connects them back to their original essence is Sian, whose vocal performance here is nothing short of outstanding, flitting impressively between distressed urban anomie, tortured torch-song balladry and seduce-you-then-kick-you-in-the-throat-style foxiness.
'Kokopelli' is a warmer record than its predecessor too. Spacious and sophisticated production and murky pools of guitar noise temper the feelings of lurking menace that the band can't help creating (did I say all the drum & bass influences had gone?).
Rather, the album is the next logical step for a creative and talented band that started small in the studio and ended up playing live to big crowds and enjoying it. This project - which admittedly veers dangerously close to stadium-rock excess in places - was made with those big crowds in mind.
If 'Resist' posed the question: are Kosheen a drum & bass at or a pop band with good songs, 'Kokopelli' answers assuredly that the latter is true. This is lucid and articulate dance-pop-rock, purpose built for large audiences and packed with enough drama to seduce the hardiest of souls.
by Paul Sullivan