A thinking man's Breetles (or perhaps even Beatles!), this is the sound of Andy Partridge and/or Todd Rundgren hijacked by the powerful popping sensibilities of L.A.'s undersound musical elite: various Negro Problems, Daisychains, and even Wondermints can be detected hearin, need I namedrop more. That said, singling out any single songs for abundant, much-deserved praise could possibly prove counter-productive in Cosmo's overall scheme of sonic things (though may I now nominate "Soulmate of the Month" as Songtitle of the Year?), yet "For-- The Time Being" features angelic back-up choruses seldom heard since P. Spector last scaled his particular Wall of Sound, and "Topper Takes A Trip" actually constructs the long-lost mystical, musical bridge between "Tomorrow Never Knows" and Satanic Majesties-era Stones (yes, somehow Morley seems to have eavesdropped upon some otherworldly John Lennon/Brian Jones duet!)

Suffice just to say then that the concluding 12-minute salvo, extremely aptly called "Revolution # 9 and 1-2 Weeks," makes mincemeat out of all P. Townshend's schlock-opera'ing of olde, coz unlike "Tommy," "Q-phenia" et al, once "Pure Fast Vibration" has wound to its close, you'll be skipping immediately back to Track One in order that you can embark on a return trip, if ya catch mah drift.

So then! Dance the Dream Awake, as MB himself would say, and get (and PLAY) this one, again. And again. And then again.

Cory Branan: The Hell You Say

Coulier: Cool, Cooler, Coulier

[Issue Fifty-One // August 2002]