Harmonies abound in cross-channel collaboration.
After a seven-year cross-channel collaboration and four years after their first ‘Live in Amsterdam’ EP Matt Arthur and Jara Holdert release their first full-length album ‘A Different Life’. Despite living in different countries, in the time that followed their first meeting they managed to continuously build upon the immediate bond they’d shared after a chance encounter in Holdert’s native Netherlands. Through the wonders of video calling and voice messaging, as well as countless Eurostar train trips, they turned a long-distance connection into a wonderfully harmonious musical alliance.
With songs dealing with themes such as love and loss, mental health, friendship and the day-to-day struggles of life, The Coo keep returning to the idea that things could always have been different. It is a wistful and nostalgic sliding doors type approach. A different life is forever around the corner but, at the same time, often out of reach
The songs themselves have an indie/folk flavour to them with those harmonies the common denominator. Whether switching seamlessly, one lead vocal to the other, or gloriously in sync from the start, these are voices made for each other. The overall sound and feel of the album owe much to multi-instrumentalist producer and sound engineer Sean Gascoigne, who they met on the indie scene in Amsterdam. Among his many talents Gascoigne plays drums on the album and they feature prominently on a number of tracks including ‘Promise Me’, the single that was released in the summer and featured on these pages in July.
Outside those drum heavy tracks, the songs vary in pace and tempo, often accompanied by clever guitar work. ‘Life of the Party’ is a classy example of one of the quieter and more pared-back tracks. Holdert takes the lead here with Arthur’s backing and some low-key but distinctive guitar work giving the song an unusual and ethereal feel. Opening track ‘Something’s Turned’ probably gives as good a taster as any as to what The Coo are all about. With those two-part harmonies and lovely guitar work, the song dips and rises with subtle shifts in tempo.
‘A Different Life’ features intricately crafted songs, the harmonious melding of two fine vocalists with some first-rate musical accompaniment and is a perfect summary of seven years of deepening musical connection and friendship.
