This album’s concept is reflected in its title - it is indeed all about CoH playing Cosey. So, I guess the place to start would be with who is who. CoH is Ivan Pavlov the Russian sound artist and engineer who has collaborated with the likes of Coil in the past. Cosey is Cosey Fanni Tutti one of the original co-founders of Throbbing Gristle. So, as I said, this album is indeed CoH playing Cosey; the majority of the tracks are nothing but Cosey’s voice samples being distorted and arranged by CoH to create sparse but interesting soundscapes.

I was introduced to this album the same week I found this clip on the internet. The concepts of the video and this album are pretty much the same; Cosey plays a role as vocalist but also as instrument. It raises some interesting questions about the subjectivity of the artists involved. A vocalist normally contributes a subjective expression to any given piece of music, but here, the vocalist’s expression is objectified and then filtered through the subjective expression of another musician. From what I’ve read it was certainly more collaborative than a game of musical telephone, but stretching or dissolving boundaries always scores points with me.

While conceptually fascinating, the music itself is very minimal. The first five tracks are created out of nothing but Cosey’s vocals and they are certainly more about mood than composition. These tracks remind me of some of the more moodier output of Einstürzende Neubauten as Cosey shares Blixa’s penchant for breathy whispers. The following four tracks do pick up a bit, however, either through the addition of some more substantial electronics, or Cosey’s voice is just sampled beyond recognition. “Near You” and “Fuck It” have more of an assaulting, upfront beat behind the vocal work, and the last track “Lying” stands out as my favorite. It’s the “radio single” if there was one on the album, but after traversing a minimalist desert it’s nice to sink your teeth into something; the beat carries the song throughout, as a nearly atonal saxophone moans in the background. It’s still very atmospheric, but offers more substance than the previous minimal offerings.

Overall, I imagine the album is an acquired taste, but for fans of seminal bands like Coil or Neubauten, not to mention the impressive resume of the two artists involved, CoH Plays Cosey is worth checking out.

-Michael Lutomski