Kaupe - Cognitive Dissonance Review

Instrumental albums are such a fuzz. I always say that it’s the opportunity a band finds to show all their prowness and musical and technical ability. I have to say that is remarkable the number of instrumental albums that we’ve been receiving here these days. And this number is getting bigger and bigger each year. I guess the new technologies on one hand made it easier to record and to distribute albums; on the other hand, it made life more difficult to music artists in general. From the point of view of making it easier the access to recording techniques and gear there are lots of changes there to make the music ther band always dreamt of. The same goes to instrumental albums as well.

The title “Cognitive Dissonance” says a lot about the album. I guess some of the mooding here may be expressed as a Rush with lots of dissonances and touches of Space Rock as “Simpatico” shows the fan. The keyboarding using space rock features is present in all the track being most of the time the lead instrument. The fan may be reminded of Rush’s “La Villa Strangiato” and “Red Barchetta,” for instance. Kaupe were able to mix modern features with 1960s and 1970s ones in order to make their music. Besides all that, opening track “Death Rattle” shows some modern Metal features as, for instance, all the dissonances and other elements. Unlike their peers, “Cognitive Dissonance” isn’t an album to show all the shreding and flamboyant guitar solos and all. It’s a band album where all the band has the opportunity to show everything they’ve got as in tracks as “Head in a Bag” where in the intro there are some features of 1980s rock and some 1960s space rock. A mix that the fan can’t miss.

“Cognitive Dissonance” mixes a lot of features and it’s a trip around instrumental albums inspiration. I found a little of Jeff Beck’s “Blow by Blow” era in tracks as “Cop Caller” and there is a little of some other bands as well. By doing this Kaupe were able to build up an album that they can call their own. The unique melt found here shows tha band personality. From where I’m standing it’s not easy to do this without a voice. Very difficult it is.

Kaupe “Cognitive Dissonance” will be self-released on February 19th.

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