British DJ Adam Freeland brings to the table one the best and most enjoyable dance albums of the year.
1. Do You!
2. Under Control
3. Strange Things
4. Bring It
5. Mancry
6. Borderline
7. Rock On
8. Silent Speaking
9. Best Fish Tacos In Encinada
10. Only a Fool (Can Die)
11. Morning Sun
12. Wish I Was Here
DJ Adam Freeland may have made the best live album of the year – even if there was no actual concert during the recording process.
Everything on Cope has been tailor-made for the concert experience. There’s fist pumping electro, intense rock n’ roll, epic anthems, and a dash of hip-hop rolled up all in one. It’s like a great serving of sushi where each salty flavor bursts in your mouth. Only better.
“Mancry,” is a perfect concert opener. With growing ambience and a phone ringing to chime in the introduction, heavy drums are brought to the fold to make an intense impact on the listener. The addition of crowd cheering wouldn’t have been a stretch – I was seconds away from hollering in the privacy of my own car. (Okay, so I hollered.)
Make no mistake – this is great techno, through and through. Like the best dance music, it introduces new elements to each song to keep you on your toes and always guessing. That unpredictability makes Cope such a compelling listen. Freeland knows not only how to create a great techno song, but a consistently entertaining album.
Cope hits the ground running with “Do You!,” a blend of old-school NES music with slamming hip-hop drums and vocal sampling reminiscent of the best Moby. Immediately following is the album’s first single, “Under Control,” a gloriously upbeat pop-rock track with giddy vocals provided by chief vocalist Kurt Baumann. The song is a cross between New Order and Fragile-era Nine Inch Nails, and it’s one hell of a fun hybrid. “Relax,” says Baumann, sounding cool. “Nothing is under control.” My stomping boot against the pavement certainly was not.
“Strange Things” is another vocals-oriented song which works a lot better than it should. It evokes Timo Maas’ recent collaborations with Placebo frontman Brian Molko: dark, yet irresistible. The thudding drums with distortion is actually very beautiful with the addition of a lucid voice. The same can be said for “Borderline,” again embracing thudding drums with a relaxed bass line that compliments the song perfectly.
Taking the award for best title, “The Best Fish Tacos in Encinada” is, like the best fish tacos, simply delicious. The video game feel resembles a Harold Faltermeyer motion picture score from the 80’s: imagine a male walking down Sunset Boulevard with hands in his pockets and beautiful women everywhere, and you’ll enjoy a great moment of cheesy, delightful nostalgia.
The only real misstep is “Rock On,” which tries too hard to get the club started. When everything else seems genuine, the one song with a “DO YOU WANNA ROCK?!” vibe feels forced and unnecessary. Why ask us? We're already rocking.
If there’s one below average moment in an album of twelve songs, you know you’re doing well. Very often, I am not tempted to repeat a song upon first listen, but my finger trailed away to the REWIND button several times during Cope, and that's really saying something.
Freeland says: “I wanted to create songs I could play live, not just spin.”
Mission accomplished. Now get them to the stage.
The 411: Freeland's new album is like the best Prodigy, Moby, and Massive Attack... with a flamboyant flair. Everyone involved sounds like they had a blast recording it, and that joyous feeling carries over to the listener without losing any of the flavor. Highly recommended.
