Originally posted on Noise Cannon: http://noisecannon.com/2014/05/05/yellow-ostrich-cosmos/
New York indie rockers Yellow Ostrich have applied their guitar driven melodies in new album Cosmos which is out May 5th. Prior to the writing of the album singer/guitarist Alex Schaaf occupied his time in Brooklyn engrossed in the study of astronomy while drummer Michael Tapper undertook a sailing trip from Mexico to Hawaii. With these two influences in play Cosmos reflects the ideals of both shutting yourself away from the world as well as venturing on to new ground. Soft tones lend the feeling of shutting yourself out from the world and floating in your own personal bubble while the slightly more aggressive beats and guitar melodies offer the buzz of first hand discovery.
This range of tones draw upon the band members’ experiences respectively, the calm spectrum representing both Schaaf and Tapper at peace in their own world, be that their Brooklyn studio or a boat in the Pacific. Those energetic moments seem to represent Schaaf’s intellectual stimulation and Tapper’s cultural endeavours. What brings the two together is a sense of solitude and perhaps self-discovery that comes through to the listener in how they let this album take them.
The album features a mellow introduction of soothing guitars and vocals, gaining definition with the impact of the drumbeat and heavier guitar tone not long before rounding off with a return to that original warm mood. Dynamic guitar aptitude is in the limelight with a delectable energy that leaves you begging for more. The clarity of all musical elements particularly in track ‘You Are The Stars’ adds great depth to album. The aforesaid track then reaches an intense instrumental bridge that focuses heavily on crashing cymbals and a brutal attack of guitars that pushes all the right buttons.
‘Neon Fists’ is the first single to be released from Cosmos and features relatively delicate vocals, floating on the surface of an eclectic selection of clicking beats and dreamy Hispanic guitars. While there is nothing strikingly unique about their music, Yellow Ostrich seem to have perfected a raw quality that stops short of becoming mere noise. The band treat us with a selection of riffs ranging from dreamy melodies to intensely rich and gnarly tones, flawlessly representing what seems to be an assortment of musical angles. Cosmos on a whole offers a general feeling of a relaxing summer’s evening, whether that is spent in blissful solitude or amongst others.
SAMANTHA MAE 