Prosthetic Boombox

Cola Boyys debut full-length, Prosthetic Boombox, kicks off with a song thats equal parts heartfelt outsider art and slick neo-disco jam. Produced by the Avalanches and featuring the keyboard work of John Carroll Kirby, Dont Forget Your Neighborhood positively overflows with heart and has the kind of hook thats hard to shake. Hours later, itll still be running around the brains pleasure center like a hyperactive dog chasing a squirrel; chances are good that the warm feelings that Matthew Urangos lyrics and sentiments engender will be hanging around up there too. The rest of the album is a similarly wonderful delight that comes in many different flavors of danceable pop. Theres the loping groove of Mailbox, the funky soft R&B of For the Last Time, the glitchy disco jam Mink, and the loose-limbed French touch of Roses. All of it is polished to a reflective shine by a cadre of producers like Nicolas Godin of Air, the aforementioned Avalanches, Andrew VanWyngarden of MGMT, infinite bisous, and Myd. Along with the tunes designed to get feet moving, there are some songs made for quieter, more introspective moments. The lush late-night pop of Kid Born in Space and the gloomy 70s soul-bummer ballad One of These Winters Will Take Me show a different, even more sensitive side of Cola Boyy. At the core of all these great songs -- no matter the mood or tempo -- lies Urangos soul; it beams out of him like the bat signal on a cloudy night. Hes taken the lumps that life has given him and turned them around, crafting inspirational music thats uplifting and raw beneath the shimmering surfaces. Delivered in a voice that at times calls to mind a laid-back Daniel Johnston, the lyrics tell of his struggles as a young man, a disabled man, and one at the fringes of society, with clear-eyed, unvarnished honesty. Only those who have led a charmed life will be able to listen to Go the Mile and not feel at least a bittersweet twinge of recognition. Thats not the only song where a deeper listen will reveal some realness and truth; the whole album is brimming with it. Its rare that an artist can capture such deepness while also making music thats so easy to dance or chill out to at the same time -- music that hurts and heals at the same time. Cola Boyy has done it, and Prosthetic Boombox is essential listening for anyone looking for some tears and strength mixed in with their thumping beats and glitter. ~ Tim Sendra

カリフォルニア州オックスナードを拠点とするシンガー/マルチ演奏家のファースト・フル・アルバム。アヴァランチーズやMGMTなどがゲスト参加した本作には、踊れる曲が揃っている。なかでも、軽快なピアノ・リフが光るハウスの"Don't Forget Your Neighborhood"と、リズミカルなカッティング・ギターが映えるディスコ・ナンバー"You Can Do It"の2曲は出色の出来だ。
bounce (C)近藤真弥