Paul Kenneth Cogley is one of those people that is thrown into the world with the primary objective of becoming a star! His amazing music skills span across so many instruments that he decided to just become a one-man band! A singer songwriter who makes surreal rock music that seems to be spilling out of the genre that it has been boxed into. Deep Blue Sky is a masterpiece of an album, spanning 12 amazing tracks. An extended journey into the world of Paul Cogley. Paul has been making music since the 70s and you can see that he is at a point where he has become a musical magician!
Surreal guitar soundscapes and a very soothing voice all kept together by amazing drumming by Paul Cogley. I have to remind myself that all this is being done by one man. It seems next to impossible to achieve such quality work just by himself. Let’s move on to the album itself now!
The album starts off with ‘Mr. Spaceman’, which has a very spaced-out intro that makes you wonder what Paul has in store in this track. Right when the guitar pours in, OH MY GOD! This is the kind of rock that I have been looking for all these years. A genre that has seen so many artists come and go with their own styles, Paul seems to plant his flag, to be remembered for ages. An amazing first track to an album. I’m already hooked. The guitar work is just oozing from the speakers and creeping into my very being. The electronic sounds are a really nice touch, especially since the vocals have a lot of space effects on it. I personally love the first track and I think I might have a favorite already. MY favorite part of this track is how the guitar solo around the 3-minute mark ends with an amazingly creative riser that makes the listener feel like they’re spiraling into space!
This album reminds me of a band I used to listen to when I was younger – “Younger Brother” who focused more on the psychedelic aspect of rock. The second track is slightly at a higher tempo and keeps you going through the album, until the 4-minute mark. From here on, it is an outro or rather an interlude to the next track “Lament”. Its as if Paul has created the whole album with a clear idea in his head. A story that spans across 12 tracks. A really cool concept.
Here on, the album takes a more melancholic approach. Lament is an instrumental track that just showcases how amazingly Paul can pour emotions out of just strings. I can feel what he’s trying to convey in my gut. Longing is another song filled with sadness, this time showcasing Paul’s surreal voice. It just pierces through you, as if he was whispering directly to your soul. With amazing spaced-out guitar leads that just take you deeper and deeper into a state of melancholic trance!
Next, we move on to “Everything Changes”. A track whose lyrics I absolutely love! He talks about how tomorrow is the day you worry about yesterday, not today. What a profound phrase. I had to replay it at least 5 times just to be sure of what he said! Tomorrow is the day you worry about yesterday! Not today! Wow! Did reading that again help? This is because everything changes. Wordplay at its finest, accompanied with a gated guitar lead that seems to be rippling through. Absolutely surreal!
Now we move on to “A million miles away”, an instrumental gem that takes you through a floating desert in the middle of the universe. Ethereal soundscapes with amazing guitar work led to the birth of this psychedelic masterpiece. Paul really is an expert at creating worlds in your head. A sonic architect that just creates geological structures through stereo!
At this point in the album, I can make an educated guess that every alternate track is going to be an instrumental masterpiece. The overall arrangement of the album itself is amazing! The album ends with “Epitaph”, the most melancholic track of the album. At this point, I’m almost in tears but I have no idea why. Do you remember, as a kid, when you bawled your eyes out, you get the soundest sleep? This track is somehow the musical version of exactly that feeling. The limbo between crying and sound sleep! I have no other words to explain that feeling!
Overall, this has become one of my all-time favorite albums. Its not even that I’m trying to force this album on you, its an honest opinion! An album that can take you through a journey of sadness within yourself, finally leading to some really sound sleep! A surreal ceremony of facing your sadness at its core and overcoming it!
Hats off to Paul Cogley for this masterpiece. I wish i could sit and explain how every track made me feel but I don’t think any of you would enjoy reading so much. So, I’m going to end with this: Yesterday, you were worrying about tomorrow, and not today!
Check out our playlists here!
Discovered via http://musosoup.com
Promotional Disclaimer: The content in this post has been sponsored by the artist, label, or PR representative to help promote their work.
