I was nervous about clicking the purchase button for my copy of Kevin Max’s latest release, Cotes D’Armor. His last two releases, the Crashing Gates EP and the Get On Yer Bike single made me a little nervous about where his music was heading artistically — and whether or not I was able to keep up. I’ve listened to the whole album through a couple times now, and while I was initially not a huge fan of what I heard, I’ve come to appreciate it for what it is.
Musically, to his credit, Mr. Max is trying something new. Cotes D’Armor attempts to grasp an Electronic, Ambient, Quasi-Industrial musical style. Aside from his poetry release, a far too often overlooked gem Raven Songs 101, he hasn’t really dabbled in this particular form before — and for the most part the music compliments his unique style. It puts an edger tone on a few of the songs previously released on the Crashing Gates EP. The songs Out of the Wild, Future Love Song, and Traveler seem to benefit from the style change.
However, lyrically I think the album was lost on me. What I had come to admire from Kevin Max is his ability to pen songs that had the ability to leave an imprint on you. Though far from being ambiguous, his song’s messages was certainly loose enough to apply whatever pretense you would see fit — that is to say, no matter what situation in life you find yourself, his music could ‘speak’ to you. I don’t get this impression from Cotes D’Armor. I expressed my concern over this when I posted my thoughts about the Get On Yer Bike single.
This isn’t to say the album isn’t worth while. Overall, I’m enjoying Cotes D’Armor. Unfortunately though, I feel I need to classify the album as ‘passive listening’ music. It’s great to have on in the background while you’re focusing on something else, or adding the tracks into a shuffled playlist. With the exception of the song Walking Through Walls — the best song on the release — I don’t see myself ever playing the album to for it’s on listening sake.
Here’s hoping I haven’t seen the last of The Imposter.
