Alexander Ahmadi and Derek Cowart, the core members of Los Angeles’ psychedelic rockers Cosmonauts, went back to basics on their new album, Star 69, recording it “as live as possible,” as Ahmadi put it.
The opener, “Crystal,” has them declaring, “Life is confusion.” It certainly can be, and is for most of us skittering around from deadline to deadline or trying to live in a past long gone or a future that doesn’t exist. The repeated chorus of “Are we clear? Are we crystal? Do you feel me in your system?” behind sharp psychedelic riffs is both a plea for understanding and a bit of a joke, as psychedelic rock is all about altering perceptions.
“Seven Sisters” is one of my top singles of 2019, and will make anyone who hears it crank up the volume. “Everybody’s trippin’, everybody’s falling down,” Ahmadi sings, and he’s right. Everyone is either stumbling over their egos instead of being in the moment or purposely falling on their faces for more YouTube or Instagram hits. “Medio Litro” is a witty take on partying and the rock and roll life and how they can be exhausting (“We’ll go to the party if we can find parking. We’ll go to the show, but we don’t have any money.”).
“Cold Nature” is a solid shoegaze track with some early 1990’s Brit-rock beats. “Wicked City (Outer Space)” kicks off like a roller coaster racing to make it up the first hill and then shooting down it for the first loop. It slows down just enough during the verses to let you catch your breath and then lulls you into a mellow bedroom with an exotic lover playing old tunes all night. “Heart of Texas” continues swirling the incense smoke around you with guitars and tribal beats that evoke spaghetti westerns and a lovely addition of female backing vocals in a song about lost love (i.e., “I’d give anything to be with you again.”).
“Faces for Radio” has a fun title, referring to someone with a great voice but not enough looks to be on television, and a fun groove throughout it. “Molly on Glass” ups the shoegaze fuzz while Ahmadi sings about struggling to get through the boredom and rat race of everyday life. “I’m still trying,” he sings on “Humming,” a bright song that seems to be about dusting yourself off and moving on from heartbreak. “The Gold Line” almost ends the album on a downbeat, but the final track, “Suburban Hearts,” brings back dance drums and plenty of reverb and distortion to send you off strutting down the street.
It’s good to have Cosmonauts back and inviting us to their party…and making sure we get home okay after the rough afterparty.
Keep your mind open.
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