Record Review: Cuckoo Chaos

by | Aug 9, 2011 | Reviews

Cuckoo Chaos
Woman
San Diego, CA

“The Coronas are always half full”

Cuckoo Chaos’s newest endeavor, Woman, hinges on a separation of church and melody while toying with tales of unrequited love – kind of. Front man Scott Wheeler bares all his viscera on his sleeve, with sheepish vocals that makes you want to band-aid all ill-fated heart aches – in certain seemingly pre-pubescent scenarios – with a piñata filled with sugar-infused candy necklaces.

Polyrhythmic tremolo guitar licks kick-start “Jesus Flag American Fish,” but the Bloc Party façade gives way to a dainty harmony that dwells on the infamous “Suzy”: the generic girl that assumingly dotes on a boy that does not realize her presence until she flocks to another gent.

“Just Ride It” brings about a staccato baseline peppered with a luminescent Rasta sound, presumably a call to action for all soppy protagonists who begrudgingly go with the flow – down the lazy river of regret.

Wheeler’s penchant for his glass-half-full mentality thematically surfaces in each song. “Possessed by a Corpse” asserts the aforementioned creed with lyrics that accompany the tune – “Cheer up you lookin’ so sad // You know that life ain’t so bad // Oh what a feeling it feels so alive.” Woman jives around upbeat instrumentals that fuse California surf rock with doo-wop-esque harmonies.

Cuckoo Chaos takes the chaos in one’s life and puts it to the backdrop of Mulholland Drive at sunset, thereby deconstructing man to his core and resolving character flaws with dance and a positive outlook on life. (Lefse Records)

www.cuckoochaos.com