Laika & the Cosmonauts - Cosmopolis - Rock N' Roll Oldies - CD

Praised equally by surf god Dick Dale and Ministry's Al Jourgensen, Laika & the Cosmonauts are some of modern music's most vibrant explorers. Their first release in four years, COSMPOLIS is a surf, rock, and jazz fueled trip through the past 20 years of Laika's career, including material never before released in the U.S. Renowned for the technical prowess of their fuzz-drenched, tremolo-happy surf rock, Laika sounds like a 50's sci-fi film soundtrack.

While 20 years is a nice round number on which to throw in the towel, the Finnish surf and spaghetti Western-influenced lads don't take the easy way out on this final bow. Instead of the typical "best-of" set, these 27 nuggets showcase the quartet's eclectic tendencies during its two-decade run. Running a bit-bursting 76 minutes, the cuts are drawn predominantly from six (five studio, one live) American albums on Upstart, Evidence, and Yep Roc, most of which are out of print as of this set's appearance in 2008. Fans will be thrilled to find a few difficult to find tracks that open ("Metropolis Theme") and close ("Mary's Theme") the disc. What makes this such a listenable collection, though, is the variety of styles Laika span, all unified by a common cinematic thread. Although the band stuck to its instrumental guns, there is a wide swath of territory at its disposal. Flicks were a logical source for much of the group's material, yet covers of the obscure "Ipcress File," "Psyko" (sic), "Experiment in Terror," and "Get Carter" themes show that Laika dug much further than just redoing "The James Bond Theme" (which they did cover but is not included here) for inspiration. Most of the songs are original and seem like the soundtrack to an as yet unfilmed movie. There are nods to their Dick Dale roots on "Surfs You Right!," a punky grunge attack driving "Look! No Head!," twisting sci-fi for "C'mon Do the Laika!," some '60s Western dust kicked over "Land's End," and even funk-based blaxploitation on "Circumstantial Evidence." The sound is never cluttered, with guitars and keyboards weaving around each other while leaving room for the music to breathe. Those who missed this gifted combo the first time around have a terrific sampler here, especially if the original discs never come back in print. It may not be all you will ever need from one of the finest and least heralded contemporary vocal-less bands, but this is a perfect summation of a group that had the chops, the creativity, and the tunes to be far more popular than it was. ~ Hal Horowitz, Rovi

Performer	Laika & the Cosmonauts
Music genre	Rock, Alternative
Music subgenre	CD - SURF
Music release type	Release
Media format	CD
Original release date	2008
Edition	Standard
Language	English
Number of tracks	27
Has parental advisory label	N
Number of discs	1
Series title	Laika & the Cosmonauts - Cosmopolis [CD]
Track listing	Metropolis Theme, Floating, Rikki on the Loose, Note Crisis, Experiment in Terror, Global Village, Disconnected, Crosstown Canyon, Turquoise, Surfs You Right!, Look! No Head!, Vendetta, Psyko, C'mon Do the Laika!, Fear, Boris the Conductor, Lands End, Circumstantial Evidence, Delayrium, NY '79, Exposã©, Get Carter, Fadeaway, Ipcress File, Meneito Paraiso, S.P.Y.D. A's Web, Mary's Theme
Record label	Yep Roc Records
Track name	Metropolis Theme, Floating, Rikki On The Loose, Note Crisis, Experiment In Terror, Global Village, Disconnected, Crosstown Canyon, Turquoise, Surfs You Right!, Look! No Head!, Vendetta, Psyko, C'mon Do The Laika, Fear, Boris The Conductor, Lands End, Circumstantial Evidence, Delayrium, NY '79, Exposé, Get Carter, Fadeaway, The Ipcress File, Meneito Paraiso, S.P.Y.D.A.'s Web, Mary's Theme
Music media format	CD
Is edited	N
Is enhanced	N