Kosmos Bremer/McCoy

Album review

The third Luaka Bop album (and seventh overall) from Bremer/McCoy, 2024's Kosmos finds the Danish duo capturing the quiet atmosphere and hushed expectation of a live performance. Once again, the album features the collaborative talents of bassist Jonathan Bremer and pianist/tape delay artist Morten McCoy. Together, they craft sweeping and dreamlike soundscapes that draw from modal jazz, dub, Nordic folk, and other electronic musical traditions. Although listening to the spacey layers the duo achieve, one might assume there is a fair amount of studio overdubbing here. On the contrary, as with past recordings Kosmos was recorded live to tape with McCoy manipulating sounds in real time. And while there is certainly a feeling of cascading aural textures at play, you can really hear the organic sounds of the duo's core bass and piano in the mix; a vibe that often sounds like it was recorded live in a large concert hall. The opening "Higher Road" begins with a burst of starlight synth before the bell tone piano melody and woody acoustic double bass arrive, all of which evokes a magical blend of Radiohead doing an ECM album. More jazz vibes permeate "Dream," a waltz-like number that sounds like a synthy take on British pianist John Taylor's work in the 1970s. Yet more spectral is "Bøn," another waltz-in-space-sounding number where the duo sound like they are broadcasting their synthy flute, string and organ lines into the cosmos. A lilting 6/8 groove also marks "Blomsten du sår," whose moody melody wouldn't sound out of place as the theme to classic romantic drama or neo-noir film of the '70s. If Kosmos is meant to represent Bremer/McCoy's live performances, it's a deeply relaxing one, and one that nonetheless retains all of their melodic and collage-like sonic explorations.

© Matt Collar /TiVo