Robocobra Quartet - Living Isn't Easy (First
Taste Records)
Release Date: 17th June 2022
So, I'm in a bit of a love/fear relationship with Robocobra Quartet and this album certainly isn't for the faint hearted but I'd urge you to give it a try if you have a single adventurous bone in your body. The Belfast outfit are dropping 'Living Isn't Easy' this June and, like all the best things in life, it takes a little getting used to but is ultimately worth it. The album opens with 'Flew Close' which is over eight minutes of meandering and reflective guitar playing that builds in to a fractious and cacophonous climax that will leave you feeling exhausted in a way only great sex normally does. Recent single 'Wellness' is as wonderfully bonkers as ever with it's increasingly frantic spoken word approach making the listener as agitated as the protagonist is unnervingly calm.
The stumbling drums that introduce 'Labyrinth' soon welcom a moody, Lynchian guitar melody and an eerie sax which underpin the gritted teeth vocals that, for the first time in my life, introduce the words "you cheeky fucker" in to a song. 'Heaven' comes in at a whopping 13 minutes long (although not the longest track here) and although it feels very much like a free form jazz jam there is a deceptively loose beat at the centre of this that keeps the engine humming throughout. It is 'Chromo Sud' that wins the award for longest track (18 minutes) although the energy is a little lower and the lyrics of "shit house shit flat got keys got out" are repeated to such an extent that it almost becomes a little uncomfortable in a passive aggressive way. The song undulates and builds to a point where it almost reaches a gravity free status and transcends earthly considerations like structure or melody.
On 'Micro Person', Chris W Ryan (drums and vocals) combines his twin disciplines to create a laconic vibe and a sense of sarcasm underpinning a song about childbirth. If you're looking for a song that sums up the boredom of lockdown then look no further than 'Plant (Succulent Blues)' which hum drums along like a lyrical shopping list before occasionally bursting in to rage filled life. The bipolar energy of 'Kilmore Close' is disorientating as the drums scatter and the droned melody create the perfect atmosphere for a song that sounds like the confession of a would-be assassin. The album finishes on 'Night' which sounds like something placed between Cosmo Sheldrake and Sade but with poetry being spoken across the music with all the energy of 43rd reading at 3.30am. There is so much going on within this record that I don't really feel like this review does it anywhere near justice but I hope I've given you a little taste that makes you want to delve a little deeper because it really will be worth your while.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/RobocobraQuartet
Live Dates:
15.09.2022 - Kasbah Social Club, Limerick, IRE
17.09.2022 - Whelans (Upstairs), Dublin, IRE