CD Review

CocoRosie’s recently released album Noah’s Ark needs to be given a second and maybe a third listen before forming a final opinion. At first listen, it is easy to say that it doesn't compare to their debut album La Maison de Mon Reve, which is immediately captivating in it’s uniqueness and imagery.

Bianca and Sierra Casady are the two sisters that make up CocoRosie. Bianca with a whining, childish, whimsical voice (the likes of Joanna Newsom) and Sierra with a beautiful operatic voice, blend their vocals like no other sound in the music world today. Their background music consists of old toys, phone rings, drum machines, cat meows among other animal sounds along with piano and the more traditional strumming of harps.

Once listened to a few times and picked through, Noah’s Ark is almost a satisfying follow up to their debut. Somehow the bizarre background sounds that were so charming on the prior, do not blend as easily on the present. With the title song “Noah’s Ark,” which holds the consistency of the background and the fantasy notion that Noah would show up to their house and take them away, the listener is both entertained and intrigued.

“Beautiful Boys” with a guest appearance by Antony (of Antony and the Johnsons) is an eerie gothic song that will stick. Yet the song is a clear example of how the overall sound of Noah’s Ark is less complicated but more hollow, eerie and soulful. “Armageddon” could almost be covered as a southern gospel where you want to clap along and sing out loud although you would be saying “what should I do with my life / how should I spend my time / I’ll be a stock broker and get me a wife / have the diamonds cut.”

For those unfamiliar with CocoRosie, it’s still worth checking out their debut album. But for those of us that wore out La Maison de Mon Reve, Noah’s Ark satisfies a craving for more CocoRosie.