Short Reviews [Christopher Scott Cooper - 2021 - "This World"]

Before the plague hit us, I was contacted by Christopher Scott Cooper of New Sun, and we discussed him sending me the back catalogue to investigate, and then I promptly forgot all about it until the other day when an email arrived containing just that. Given it was more than two years since I had heard from Christopher, I was somewhat surprised to be honest, but it has certainly given me the opportunity to listen to nearly all their albums, in sequence. I previously reviewed their third album, 2001’s ‘Expectations’, when it was released, but have never heard any of the others so this was new to me. Also, I did not realise that Christopher had released a solo album back in 1991 which in many ways is a precursor to the New Sun journey (and is available through their Bandcamp page). Originally released on cassette, it has now been remixed and remastered, and was basically a completely solo effort with a guest playing bass on one song, someone providing programming on another, and a female singer on another. This version also includes two previously unreleased songs from 1989, so anyone into New Sun will certainly be interested in this. I am not surprised to discover this was released on tape, as it certainly takes me back to the time when releasing an album on CD was a serious investment for progressive rock bands. The keyboard sounds and strong use of guitar (and great bass) pushes them firmly into the area of neo prog which makes sense given that this was the movement of the time, but if someone had asked me to guess the country of origin just from the music, I would have guessed British as this has far more in common with that underground scene, although the lightness at times does hint of the US. For the most part this is solid neo prog, and often feels like a demo, but it does also contain a real gem. This highlight is the very last song on the album, “Magic and Majesty”, where Christopher duets with Erica Little and their voices combine with delicate picked guitar to create something which is very special indeed. Everything about this song is right, and I have found myself playing it on repeat as it is a delight. One wonders what would have happened if Christopher had continued in that vein, but he had different plans in mind, ones which would lead to the formation of a band, New Sun.