Detailed Reviews [The Cosmic Remedy - 2013 - "The Cosmic Remedy"]

Prolusion. The Hungarian combo THE COSMIC REMEDY started out as a solo project by Bogati-Bokor Akos when he started rummaging through various demo recordings and song ideas and developed them into finished compositions. This developed into an international recording project, with sound files distributed through the internet, and with friends and band mates from Bogati-Boko's band Yesterdays also helping out. The finished result was released through the Finnish label Seacrest Oy in November 2013.

Analysis. Those who have kept track of the myriads of new bands emerging the last decade or so will recognize some of the musicians involved in this project. Drummer Yacobs from Argos, the various members of Romanian band Yesterdays and drummer Parst from the Finnish band The Samurai Of Prog might be mentioned, and presumably the participation of the latter is the reason for this CD being released on a Finnish label. While many or perhaps most of the musicians involved in this production have backgrounds from progressive rock bands, this specific project takes half a step away from that style. That the opening track Ouverture has strong symphonic progressive rock vibes and that the following Blue Skies is a composition that should appeal fairly well amongst fans of vintage Genesis doesn't alter the fact that this album revolves around rather different qualities. The concluding part of the opening three-part suite, What You Are, arguably has more of a classic rock sound to it, but that doesn't really reveal all that much about this band either. The case is that the following three suites do explore rather different territories altogether. Whimsical tendencies, folky vibes and occasional jazzy undercurrents are explored in a nifty and charming manner on the four-part suite A Suite-Case of Memories, in a manner that owes just as much to pop as to progressive rock. The following Lost Marbles Suite shifts toward a sparse,uplifting sound revolving around female lead vocals and acoustic guitar, complete with a dreamlike charming sound inspired by 60's and 70's pop music. Mellotron surges in the chorus sections, and intermissions of a subtly more elegant and sophisticated nature do add an additional aspect to these compositions, but the foundation for these four tracks still has more in common with vintage pop music than with progressive rock as such. The concluding three-part Farewell Suite expands the canvas again though, with a harder edged 70's sounding power pop tune and a concluding composition that blends an acoustic guitar-driven pop song with more elaborate arrangements and psychedelic oriented guitar soloing and effects. I understand that the common denominator among the four central persons in this project is The Beatles. And while you can hear traces of the Fab Four here and there throughout this album, my impression is that this is a project that, at least at this stage, hasn't had the time to explore this common affection all that much. Instead, I understand this production as a creation that celebrates the spirit of pop and rock of the 60's and early 70's on a broader level, and then with a certain emphasis on the more elegant and sophisticated varieties of it. The recurring use of Mellotron as an atmospheric effect in the chorus sections is an example of that, compositions that develop more complex, layered arrangements as they develop another feature that indicates just that.

Conclusion. "The Cosmic Remedy" is an interesting band that blends progressive rock and elements from that style with whimsical and uplifting pop and rock songs that appear to draw inspiration from a fairly expansive canvas of 60's and 70's pop and rock. It is a well made production on all levels; the compositions are well developed, some of them breathtaking, although arguably not all that original. A quality production that merits a check by those with a general affection for elegant, sophisticated pop and rock from around 1970, and especially those amongst that crowd who also have a taste for progressive rock.

OMB=Olav M Bjornsen: November 15, 2014
The Rating Room