Chris Koza's newest effort, entitled Patterns was released not to long ago. I picked up my copy a week or two ago when I went to see him play at the 331 Club on a wednesday night (i especially like to go to the 331 on Raleigh's texas taco tuesdays to eat the wondrous tacos... just fyi). The record is a really nice piece of work. It was recorded with the help of one Paul Marino (who some of the readers may remember from NHS) at Pachyderm Studios in cannon falls, and at Paul's home studio. The recording is really excellent. It is nice to find a piece of work from a band so early in their career that is really nicely polished. The arrangements are all very well thought out, very intelligent, and really compliment the songs. My favorite tracks off of the record are Midnight Rose, View From a Pier, Patterns, and Divine Andromedary. These four songs really capture the aesthetic that I get from the band, the experimental indie-folk-pop sound I picture when I hear the band play live. Of course, this is just my personal and subjective opinion. The only song on here that I don't think fits into the record is track 7, Fear of Mimes. The style of music and lyrics suddenly change on this one track, evoking a sort of 60's bubble-gum sort of feel reminiscent of some early Beatles head bobbers. Compared to the rest of the album this one song just seems trite and quickly contrived. Despite the one track—which i don't actually not enjoy, i just don't think it fits—I really am liking this album. I look forward to hearing what new things lay on the road ahead for Chris and his band-mates.
(side note, some may think this review to be biased, as Nancy is friends with Chris, but he really is pretty good, and it seems the rest of minneapolis and st. paul think so too.)