Glens Falls, NY has been housing an epic indie rock treasure in the form the quintet Cosmonauts. Their upcoming release entitled “The Demise of Daniel Raincourt” (Jan. 14th, 2012) contains five tracks of intricate story-telling ear candy. Ethereal layers of tasteful and coherent instrumentation serve as the stage for massively memorable and dramatic vocal hooks. The dark, cryptic melodies cleverly employ rich dynamic changes and spoken background parts, all of which are sure to have anyone singing along by their second listen. The singer occasionally sounds pleasantly akin to Andrew McMahon of Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin. The lyrics lay out chapters to an ongoing character narrative, not unlike Coheed & Cambria that forms another unique characteristic to Cosmonauts’ material.
As if the clever songwriting were not reason enough to check it out, the production is spot on, clear, and adds all around to the bands desired tonal vibe. While only five tracks, “The Demise of Daniel Raincourt” definitely weighs into the full-length bracket, with most tracks over five minutes and the last exceeding nine. From the ominous verses and purely infectious, soaring vocal climaxes of the first track (Daniel’s Letter), 
to the twisting turns and goose-bump raising movements of the closing/title track, the record has a firmly definitive vibe and feel to it, without sounding at all like a bunch of all-to-similar songs, a plague of many modern bands across the genre lines. These guys pull from a wisely vast span of rock, pop, indie and various stylistic influences to accompany their schooled variety of instrumental additions to the usual guitar/bass/drums; including delicate piano to head turning flamenco guitar riffs. Several sudden time and feel changes within some songs almost throw the listener off briefly, but are precisely executed and impressive.
Listening to the record from front to back yields a very smooth and complete listening experience, as each unique movement seems to flow into the next. This band without a doubt is a threat on all plains, from diverse and tasteful musicianship to powerhouse vocals and song-crafting prowess, and will certainly be making a stir anywhere they bring this music. The band has put out a steady flow of material in their brief career so far, and has already independently moved well over 1,000 copies of their debut E.P. They also have a 7’’ out on Kentucky based Little Heart Records. Watch out for these space age rock contenders, Cosmonauts doesn’t seem to be leaving orbit any time soon.
For more on the Cosmonauts –
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CosmonautsMusic
-Chris Parmelee
Comments are closed.