Flatbasset Radio's Album Of The Week for the week of June 9th-15th, 2014:
Kougar - Cold Room
01. Street Urchin
02. Where Would You Go
03. Phantom Traveler
04. Renewal
A couple of weeks ago I made Naptaker's Siestecita my album of the week. Along the way I described the Bandcamp wormhole I followed to discover the album. If you haven't read it, have a look. Really, it's pretty gripping stuff.
Anyway, following the wormhole even further (this time via Naptaker's Facebook page), I found out about Kougar. The two bands played a show together to celebrate the release of Cold Room. Considering that I had enjoyed that Naptaker record so much I figured I'd give it a shot.
After spending a week with Cold Room, I can tell you it has almost nothing in common with Siestecita besides geography. Where Naptaker wastes little time getting to the hooks, Kougar meanders in a very pleasant way. The songs are generally upbeat, mixing indie rock with a bit of a jazzy swing that's part Steely Dan, part Vampire Weekend. Though the album would benefit from some, I dunno, "bigger" production, it still stands up as a compelling debut. All four songs check in over the 4:00 mark, but none of them feel overly long. Instead the band rides some clever hooks, Marr-esque guitar work, and compelling instrumental sections to make a record that sounds both familiar & new. I'm genuinely excited to see what the band does when they have a little bit more time/money/studio gear at their disposal.
If you'd like to check out the record for yourself, head on over to Kougar's Bandcamp page and grab it at whatever price you'd like.
