Album Review: Caveman ‘Coco Beware’

Winter in the Midwest.  It’s bleak.  It will rain for days and then it will turn around and snow.  The sun hasn’t risen when you get to work and it’s setting when you leave.  And let’s not forget, it’s bitterly cold the whole while.  But despite all this, I actually like winter. I read more.  The beer is darker.  Saturday Night Live is on.  It’s a time to recharge your batteries after a summer and autumn spent out and about.  These are all good things.

But just as California beach pop like Dirty Gold fits a summer drive with the windows down and Cut Copy the club on a Saturday night, we need music for relaxing with in the winter…something that fits the mood of the season.  I’ve been listening to a lot of Atlas Sound’s Parallax recently, and now I have a new album to put in my winter rotation, Caveman’s debut LP CoCo Beware.

Caveman is a five-piece band hailing from none other than (surprise!) Brooklyn, NYC.  Its members consist of Matthew Iwanusa (Lead Singer/Guitar), Jimmy Carbonetti (guitar), Stefan Marolachakis (drums), Sam Hopkins (guitar) and Jeff Berrall (bass).

On your first listen, you’ll notice the record is incredibly easy listening from beginning to end.  The songs are slow paced and methodical, flowing so well from one to the next that you’ll be thinking you are still on track 3 when you’ve already reached the end.  But don’t let the mellowness to take away from the beauty of this record, because this is a talented band making some great music.  Peaceful vibes, crisp harmonies, and lyrical repetition make this a perfect listen when in search of some R&R.

“Old Friend” is probably the best known track on the album due to its airplay on Sirius XMU; however my personal favorite is Decide.   The drum beat and vocals on Decide bring about the nervousness of waiting that builds throughout as the chorus is repeated over and over.

 I know the feeling though is make me feel so mean / In time we don’t know exactly what you need / I can’t believe it’s just another year to go so I / I hold…it seems right this come for me

When I hear this song I can’t help but picture someone sitting with their hands together tapping their foot, and just waiting…for something, anything, to come their way.  Other highlights on the album include “Thankful” and “A Country’s King of Dreams.” Listen to “Decide” below:

If you are a fan of Fleet Foxes or Cass McCombs, this album is definitely worth a spin as I think you’ll get that same sort of feeling from listening to it.  CoCo Beware is out now and available for purchase.

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Written by Greg Dahman