Tales of A Grass Widow
(2013)
why you'll love it: Beautiful and catchy vocals and melodies, and enough depth to justify it
why you'll hate it: Another awful album cover
CocoRosie is the kind of act that is really easy to discredit, or even despise. They're pretty close to the character Vulva, from Spaced. Art beyond the point of saying anything more than "I AM MAKING ART! THIS IS WHAT ART IS, RIGHT? PLEASE FIND ME RELEVANT!" I don't know what any CocoRosie songs are about, or really care. Their message is of no significance to me. It's their delivery that I have so much fun listening to.
Unlike most art-house acts, CocoRosie uses enough soothing melodies and enjoyable vocals to make it on to the radio. "End of Time" has such a catchy beat and smooth delivery. More than Bjork has ever had during her brief flirtations with pop-culture. Most of the songs on Tales of A Grass Widow play with this style in different ways. "Harmless Monster" begins with piano and lyrics sailing off in equally aimless and separate directions; until it's brought together 100 seconds in to create one of the most powerful harmonies on the album.
CocoRosie's astounding vocal abilities play a big role in this album's success as well. "Villain" is a good example of the range they have. The first verse goes from frail and fragile to soaring in only 20 seconds. I love the accent they push on songs like "After The Afterlife". Very similar to The Knife's Karin Dreijer. CocoRosie is similar to The Knife in general, in their balancing act between pop and art. If all the noise and "non-music" parts of The Knife get on your nerves, maybe CocoRosie's devotion to melody will be more up your alley.
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