Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Cog
Label: Superball Music
Release: 2008
Rating: 3.5/5
”Sharing Space” is the second album from modern Australian progressive rockers Cog. After the epic concept debut “The New Normal” (2005), which some adventurous music lovers even count among the biggest achievements of the contemporary Australian rock scene, Cog are back with another record that’s pretty innovative by modern prog rock standards. Instead of mining the “old school” prog rock of the ’70s, which is the general trend among today’s Scandinavian and American prog outfits, it prefers to draw on some more extreme musical forms, all while holding on to a solid level of sonic distinctiveness. Cog, who work as a trio made up of brothers Flynn (vocals, guitar) and Luke Gower (bass) plus Lucius Borich (drums), have a lot more in common with alternative rock and metal than with classical, jazz or psychedelia, the traditional ingredients of most progressive rock bands. So you won’t find even a trace of (neo) prog revivalism in their music, which is quite a rarity in prog rock these days, whether you like it or not. On the other hand, they don’t overdo the aggressive alternative metal outbursts, where you can often sense anger and pain, since these are nicely backed by flowing symphonic layers that build a mighty atmosphere, and by shorter instrumental interludes where their great virtuosity comes out.
Their sound can’t really be pinned on any far better-known bands. When it comes to the uncompromising, at times almost chaotic outbursts of rage, embodied by razor-sharp riffing, rattling drums and an incredibly versatile voice, along with the borrowing from alternative music, the closest comparison would be something like The Mars Volta, with occasional parallels to Tool as well. A lot of what makes the band special is also down to Flynn Glover’s chameleon-like, slightly eccentric voice, which is definitely not for every taste. For some it may even be annoying, as is usually the case with any singer who takes a more avant-garde vocal approach, but it hides plenty of qualities that usually only reveal themselves after a few listens. His unique timbre is almost essential, whether or not someone ends up liking Cog’s music. He can sound very melodic and melancholic and then, a moment later, almost brutal.
Still, on “Sharing Space” Cog have made their sound a bit more accessible to a wider audience compared to the very experimental debut, and they’ve emphasized their symphonic side with more keyboards, led by multi-layered synth lines (and there’s no shortage of interesting samples, like the sound of violins). Backing vocal harmonies have also gained importance, and they sometimes sound downright avant-garde quirky. The alternative rock/metal moments on the album usually come through strongest in the transitions, when heavy riffs and unusual multi-part vocals crash in. On “Sharing Space,” Cog mostly devoted themselves to building a dramatic ambience, which stays at an outstanding level throughout; a dark mood mostly prevails, but there’s plenty of room for some more esoteric moments too. The lyrics are mostly socially critical, in places existentialist, and for the most part pretty direct, which is rare for such a complex kind of music.
The album opens with the 10-minute epic “No Other Way”, which right away serves up a high, steadily rising atmosphere and some fresh-sounding experimental ideas this band is known for. The dark “Are You Interested?”, whose lyrics hit the heart of the sad fact that individual privacy has become an extinct ideal and that our lives are increasingly controlled by corrupt governments and greedy corporations, is marked by razor-sharp guitar lines and mighty drum passages. Flynn’s vocal acrobatics, mighty drum passages and varied guitar parts come alive at full power on the dramatic, rebellious “The Movies Over”, where rage clashes with subtlety, embodied by calmer sections with acoustic guitar up front. The far more optimistic “What If”, which also came out as a single, boasts an excellent vocal performance from Flynn, a few metal-leaning rhythmic passages and ethereal waves of keyboard samples. Not all the songs on the album touch on political themes. That goes especially for “Bird Of Feather”, which is dedicated to Flynn’s three-year-old daughter Sequoia and expresses the singer/guitarist’s loneliness during a months-long separation while this album was being recorded. “Swamp” is also a very interesting piece, with a Celtic touch courtesy of violin samples. The title track is a chapter of its own, with a hugely uplifting atmosphere, plenty of multi-part harmonies and intense instrumental sections. With the emphasis on the latter, it somehow brings some new standards to the band’s sound. Next comes the more melancholic-aggressive “Say Your Last Goodbye”, marked above all by Luke Gower’s mighty bass line.
“How Long” again shows a somewhat subtler side of the band, with gentle arrangements on acoustic guitar and violin, plus a really interesting chorus and atmospheric moog synthesizer sounds. “The Town Of Lincoln”, where vocal harmonies mix with sharp, multi-part instrumental passages, has an almost nostalgic parable feel. “Bitter Pills” could be called the centerpiece and perhaps the best song on the album. It stands out above all for its incredible shifts in atmosphere, dreamy synth lines and warm acoustic guitar sound, plus a convincing existentialist lyric. “Four Walls” is again a bit more alternative-metal-flavored piece with a number of claustrophobic sections. To close, there’s one more mighty epic, the nearly 10-minute “Problem, Reaction, Solution”, which contains all the main sonic elements that make this album so interesting for every prog rock adventurer.
With “Sharing Space”, which without a doubt belongs among those albums that demand deep listening and grow in the listener’s ears over time, Cog successfully prove that they’re currently surely one of the most interesting, if not the most interesting, prog rock band from the land of kangaroos and koalas. For a country that can’t exactly boast a rich prog rock tradition (with the exception of some cult names, which, apart from Gong chief Daevid Allen, are nearly forgotten and obscure to “laymen”, like Sebastian Hardie, Rainbow Theatre, Ayers Rock, The Church, Dead Can Dance, etc.), this album is an almost magnificent achievement that shouldn’t go unnoticed by the wider gourmet music public either.
For following their own sonic ideals of total instrumental spontaneity and unpredictability so successfully, Cog would definitely deserve greater recognition, but they’ll probably end up, like most of their Australian compatriots, as a cult band known only to a handful of prog rock devotees, which is surely a great shame for anyone who wants to discover a band that successfully builds bridges between prog and alternative rock. You can feel on every composition on the album that the band put an enormous amount of effort and energy into it and created a very good record, one that stands out first and foremost for its extremely varied, lofty atmosphere. “Sharing Space” will thrill everyone who values uniqueness and adventurousness over (neo prog) revivalism, as well as those who aren’t so picky and are open to experiments of any kind.
Lineup
Flynn Gower – vocals, guitar
Luke Gower – bass, backing vocals
Lucius Borich – drums, backing vocals, samples
Production
Sylvia Massy and Cog
Track list
1. No Other Way
2. Are You Interested?
3. The Movies Over
4. What If
5. Bird Of Feather
6. Swamp
7. Sharing Space
8. Say Your Last Goodbye
9. How Long
10. The Town Of Lincoln
11. Bitter Pills
12. Four Walls
13. Problem, Reaction, Solution
