Mother Leads – Lost Cosmonauts (2016)
‘Lost Cosmonauts’ is the single from the album of the same name which was released June 20, 2016. The songs were written, produced and performed by Mother Leads and were recorded at Satan’s Lovebox Studio (how about that for a name?!) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
I love the electronic sounds in the intro to the song, which provide an ‘out-of-this-world’ feeling. Accompanied by a ride cymbal and rim shot, the singer has a very strong, breathy voice, a little like that of Gary Stringer from Reef. It’s a powerful instrument capable of great sustain although he is a little flat at times, but I’ve often said this of many bands today. It’s not a revelation when I say this but it’s not opera, it’s rock ‘n’ roll and all about the meaning of what is being conveyed; as well as the attitude in how it’s expressed. To get to the point, it doesn’t need to be pitch perfect.
There are nuances of Joe Walsh’s, ‘Life’s Been Good’ in terms of the rhythm and metering of the vocals on Cosmonaut. The rhythm guitar playing, which I presume is played by lead singer, guitarist and lyricist Neil Culbert, incorporates reggae influenced guitar chops striking chords on the beat. Whereas, the lead guitar (Jordan Lassalle) plays great riffs and phrases in a similar vein to that of the early Red Hot Chilli Peppers guitarist, John Frusciante, particularly in the song, ‘Under the Bridge.’
The bassist, Jordan Quinn, has a similar rhythmic style and treble tone to Flea from the RHCP. He plays a lot of bass riffs that lends itself to conventional guitar riffs. The song’s outro returns to the concept of the ‘lost cosmonaut’ and it leaves me feeling that it’s somewhat detached from the style and theme of the song, but then I would have to spend more time listening to the lyrics. I once read some research by a sociologist or psychologist, I can’t remember, but they found that women, generally speaking, were more concerned with understanding the lyrics while men are more concerned about the music or beat; maybe that’s why I was struck more by the sound than what it had to say. That said some of the lyrics stood out to me and allude to thoughts of escape and that the writer might actually leave wherever he is. This explains the song’s title.
It is a belter of a song with thunderous drumming from Raymond Cara, which reminds me of the way Ringo Starr would hit the shit out of an open hi-hat – you just don’t seem to hear drummers do that anymore or am I just too set in the sixties? The lovely guitar sounds also remind me a little of N.E.R.D, but overall the music takes me back as if I was a lost cosmonaut to the early nineties and the sound of my teenage youth. It’s nice to pay it a visit.
