I have a soft spot for all things Steampunk, and every so often tear off into the wilds of the internet in search of anything interesting in that genre. Normally, it comes up with some cool projects, a few wallpapers, and that’s about it. This time, however, I came up with something I didn’t expect – a band called The Cog is Dead. They’ve got one album available, which I purchased out of curiosity.
If you’re curious about the music, you can check out a few of the songs on The SixtyOne. Overall, I’m a big fan of the music – the album hits a surprising range of genres – The Copper War, for instance, sounds like a Western ballad, while I Want Only You is clearly a Reggae song. Yeah, that’s right, Reggae – steel drums, and all. The styles and tone vary considerably throughout the album, but this largely works to keep the album interesting as it moves from one track to the next. The music is catchy and enjoyable – the only major issue I have with the music is that the lyrics run a bit too prosaic at times. It causes the songs to stumble at times to my ear – the music flows much more readily, while the lyrics feel choppy. It doesn’t ruin the music by any stretch, but it’s something that could stand improvement.
I’m typically a picky listener, only enjoying a few songs off any album. This album has more songs than usual that I enjoy, which is always a good sign. In particular, I’m a big fan of The Copper War, The Depths Below, The Inventor’s Daughter, and The Death of the Cog. I’ll continue listening, and look forward to hearing future albums as they come out.
