By Colin Gregory.
Cincinnati’s Cool Life challenges the status quo of apathy and complacency with their eponymous debut record declaring, “Life comes at you fast, but it sure is cool.” The people responsible for bottling the lightning that is this giant collaboration are Cole Walsh-Davis (Honeyspiders, Cadaver Dogs), Alex Nauth (Foxy Shazam, The Skulx), Sam Duff (Loudmouth, Look Afraid), Chris Harrison (Honeyspiders, Banderas) and Kamal Hiresh (Honeyspiders, Mixtapes). In addition to the supergroup formed by the aforementioned Midwest musicians, the record has appearances by Eric Nally (Foxy Shazam), Chad Nicefield (Wilson), Jess Lamb (Jess Lamb and the Factory), and Elizabeth Rasmussen (King Serpent). But there is so much more to this release than just an auditory experience. The exclusive vinyl features a booklet full of outrageous artwork by Charlie Compton.
Cool Life was forged four and a half years ago with riffs originally meant for the Cadaver Dogs album, Too Much. The orphan riffs were nurtured by Cole Walsh-Davis, shaped by monumental life changing moments (like having kids and transitioning into new bands/projects) and raised in a tumultuous political landscape. The result? An emotionally driven commentary on what it means to exist in today’s world.
The record kicks off with the songs “Shapeshifter” and “Young Demon”, which were recently released as a double feature video. “Shapeshifter” takes you from zero to 60 right out of the gate. “Young Demon” is the kind of song you put on when you just can’t catch a break. Kamal Hiresh uses dance-y drum beats and crazy fills to stitch together the range of emotions you experience when you’re fed up and enough’s enough. It’s not until you reach midpoint of the album with “Waves” that the boys let up on the gas. While this song starts calmly, just enough to let you know they’re “doing fine”, it crashes into a brutal scream from Eric Nally.
The record closes with a spoken word piece written by Cole Walsh-Davis performed by Lex Vegas (Cadaver Dogs, Look Afraid). Vegas, who can be seen in the artwork for the record in a very Being John Malkovich type fashion, drones on, “We don’t decide how swiftly swings the scythe”. In reality, the members of Cool Life hold the scythe firmly in their hands, as they are in total control of the band’s destiny.
Here’s the catch – like Hale-Bopp if you don’t see this comet on December 14th at Over-the-Rhine’s Woodward Theater chances are you won’t get another glimpse. This will be the band’s first and last show.