COU is the solo project of Jørgen “Sissyfus” Skjulstad, the.. boss? Guru? I think I’ll go with spiritual leader, of the Oslo-based underground music collective Metronomicon Audio. After finishing an album trilogy about time and space last year, he has now released something you and I both have always wanted, a Levitating Disk!
Much to my disappointment it seems the disk doesn’t actually levitate, though. Despite that, I’ll try to make an honest judgement solely based on the soundwaves contained on the disk.
He calls it “electronic pop music’s answer to antigravity” himself, and I have to agree that though previous releases have been a lot more experimental and obscure, this is by no means music with its feet (metaphorical feet, mind you) planted on the ground. This is beautiful, catchy electronic pop music floating in space, perhaps even in another dimension.
While last year’s Apokryfa was very acoustic and folksy with banjos, mandolins, Accordions and everything, Levitating Disk is a lot more electronic. What the two albums have in common though, is that both are a lot more catchy and accessible than previous releases. They’re polar opposites in a way, but both directions feel so very natural.
Like a lot of what comes out of Metronomicon, this album doesn’t really sound like anything I’ve heard before (except other stuff from Metronomicon, that is) and though there are probably tons of references to other music here, I can’t quite seem to grab hold of much. One thing I did notice though, is how the track “Can you believe it? It’s a mystery” sounds a lot like Half-Handed Cloud. That I can dig.
Anyways, Levitating Disk is a solid album I’d I’d recommend any day, levitating or not. And if you ever make an actual Levitating disk, Jørgen, please reserve a copy of it for me.