Soul Coughing has been accused numerous times of being a stray band of musical geniuses. That is nothing short of true. With a perspective on music very much unlike any other band, these guys rock. No, seriously. They rock about as hard as such a strange sounding bunch can.
A quartet of musical misfits, Soul Coughing easily gained an underground following after the release of their debut 1994’s Ruby Vroom. It wasn’t until their 1996 album that I discovered the band. Irresistible Bliss was as creative and rich as their previous effort, yet they were still unable to garner the support from the public that they deserved. Consisting of auteur music-maker M. Doughty (vocals, electric guitar), Sebastian Steinberg (acoustic bass), Yuval Gabay (drums), and Mark De Gli Antoni (samples) the band released their final group effort…1998’s El Oso.
Soul Coughing never made music for the purpose of selling millions and making millions. Rather, their musical style seems to demonstrate that it is meant to be good. It’s meant to pleasure the ears of listeners. Of course, there is a problem with this equation. Since few people actually have bought their albums, Soul Coughing still hasn’t permeated the borders of rock/alternative/techno music. It deserves a place at the pinnacle. El Oso released in 1998 featured the moderately popular single ”Circles”. In my opinion, that song should have proven more popular. It is one shining star among the fourteen on this album, the eleven on Irresistible Bliss, and the fourteen on Ruby Vroom.
Before you pop this album into the stereo, prepare yourself. Prepare to be shocked and enlightened. Prepare to be entertained and to think intensely about the multi-layered tracks. Prepare to experience something very unlike anything else you’ve ever heard.
”Circles” is actually the third track on the album. It’s also the most popular…hence it’s position here. I’ll put this out on the table; this song is magnificent. Its name is reflective of the entire sound of the song. The musical elements actually seem to whip and whirl around Doughty’s vocals. The song inspires a smile almost immediately with its infectious grooves. Sounding light and fluffy on the surface, the song hides deep layers and great talent.
The lead-off track here is ”Rollin’”. Fortunately, it’s nothing like that darned Limp Bizkit track. This is real music. Doughty sings his alterna-heart out in this track. There are better songs from the band on this album and on their others. But, there are some really great things about ”Rollin’” anyway. The song is driven almost exclusively by the band’s typical samples and by Gabay’s smooth drums. The song’s sound is warm and inviting. Listeners ears should easily be delighted by these beats.
A strange hip-hop beat introduces the second track. ”Misinformed” is a great track consisting of heavy and driving drums and Doughty’s always strange yet amazing vocal talents. It’s easy to pick out many of the different influences of this song. You can hear the hip-hop, the rock, and the jazz. All of these great layers and influences somehow manage to combine and to create some of the most innovative and truly creative songs imaginable. That’s not an exaggeration.
A long, slow and drawn out introduction set the mood for ”Blame”. As a completely inoffensive track, it proves stranger than average for Soul Coughing. There are fewer instruments and fewer layers than I like to see from the band. Doughty still sounds fine, although this song isn’t one of his best. The drums and samples are very warm, but they are also very repetitive. I prefer more variety and more creativity, especially from a band as truly talented as this one.
”St. Louise Is Listening” is a return to my favorite Soul Coughing music. It’s a bit loud and a bit ruckus. The music and Doughty’s voice continuously build in intensity toward the ultimate goal of the chorus. The traditional guitar mixed with the upright bass and lounge drums and that sampling machine equal a great musical experience. A must-listen.
One of the strangest beginnings on this album, ”Maybe I’ll Come Down” consists almost totally of just that upright bass and drums. Doughty scats like a master and then breaks into a slow groove. It’s a technically good song, although I prefer faster and more intense songs from this band and from most others. It picks up a bit as the song progresses, just not enough to please little ol’ me.
A sampled dance beat marks the beginning of the infinitely entertaining and groovy ”Houston”. The synth is reminiscent of mid-80’s new wave. Although, with the addition of the piano, upright bass, and drums the song is very much unlike anything from the new wave movement. This is one of the story-telling songs from the band. They tend to have two kinds of lyrics, the repetitive kind ala ”Blame” or the storytelling kind like this one. I prefer storytelling lyrics. In the case of Soul Coughing, they prove that the band doesn’t take themselves too seriously. Very refreshing and musically brilliant.
Sounding more like a southern rock tune in the beginning, ”$300” ends up to be something different. It’s loud and multi-layered with obnoxious instruments drowning out Doughty’s great voice. There are strange vocal samples interlaced with Soul Coughing’s strange, yet typical, instruments. I like it quite a bit, actually.
”Fully Retractable” is a typical song from this band. It’s round and warm and whole, relying on a strange mixture of traditional musical elements and an exceptionally creative use of electronic samples. Few bands can successfully pull off something like this. There are two good words to describe ”Fully Retractable”. First, it’s groovy. Second, it’s interesting to listen to. What listener could possibly ask for more?
Doughty introduces ”Monster Man” from the beginning. Loud and unrelenting, Doughty is at his best in this song. Although, the song as a whole isn’t as good as some of the other songs. It seems somehow hollow and lacks many of the influences and interesting elements listeners like myself appreciate from Soul Coughing. It’s not an awful song, rather it just lacks that something special.
”Pensacola” sounds something like a spoken word track (these appear on the other albums from Soul Coughing, too). Doughty speaks lightly over the upright bass, sampling machine, and drums. The sound is ultimately groovy and somehow listenable. Doughty’s voice is spooky and neatly intertwined with very strange sounding instruments. Ultimately, this song is just too slow and too deliberate for my tastes.
It’s immediately obvious that ”I Miss The Girl” is a great track. It’s another one of those storytelling songs I spoke about earlier. It relies on Doughty’s talented vocals and his ability to enunciate thus allowing audiences to actually understand what he’s talking about. Perfectly executed with fast and furious instruments, this is one of the best songs on this album and could qualify in the band’s top 10 of all time. This is a must listen…a diamond among a bunch of cubic zirconias.
”So Far I Have Not Found The Science” is a short track by Soul Coughing standards. I personally don’t like Doughty’s voice in this one. He seems to be forcing out a particularly nasally and unpleasing voice. The music is pretty good, but Doughty’s usually lovely vocals are seriously lacking here.
”The Incumbent” has all the makings of a decent song. Alas, it does not fulfill it’s potential. The introduction is much, much, much too long and the music sounds too much like techno to please listeners expecting good ol’ fashioned Soul Coughing riffage. Skip it. Hey, it’s the last song, so turn it off before you get here.
This is probably the weakest album of Soul Coughing’s career. That’s not saying much though. Their music is significantly better than 95% of the cookie cutter bands out there. The show great emotion and great talent by combining and unlikely mixture of instruments. M. Doughty and company proved themselves early on. They had a lot to live up to.
El Oso has some great songs…I really do enjoy ”Circles” and ”I Miss The Girl”. Most of the other songs are easily listened to, yet lack that certain something that makes for a truly amazing song.
As a whole, this album gets about 3 ½ out of four stars. I will round up for the purpose of Epinions. But, keep in mind I recommend the band’s other two albums over this one. I will also recommend this conditionally. See, their sound isn’t for everybody. If you like good, yet quirky, music this album and Soul Coughing are for you. If you still like pop schlock, don’t even think about this. You’ll think it’s repulsive.
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For more information about Soul Coughing’s other albums, check out my reviews of their other two amazing works.
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