It is hard to either fathom or quantify the genius of The Monochrome Set, and while they never quite received the possible success of ‘70s to ‘90s rock, they also, are irrefutably indispensable, as though most fans and critics would praise their effort in creating rock over the years with a single or article here or there, they also would fail to recognize the extraordinary influence they have. In particular, despite the quality of the whole of their music, the forthcoming originality of their guitar mini-solo approach, whether by Lester Square, Foz, Jon Paul Moran, or anyone else who’s played for them.
Cosmonaut has similar organ and thoughts on freedoms and life to most of their previous releases, with singer Bid commenting in the cartoony, crazy, and, creative ways. Cosmonaut also feels great in the guitar as always, with a lot of twang, and underrated placement of solos or female vocals. Plus, it has intricate, kitschy, drums and deeply eccentric and complicated bass lines. It even has darkened but happy lyrics, which is great, really replacing the pure dark of the previous two records.
In Cosmonaut, there is a forest of thought process and good social philosophies. The tapestry of this particularly shows, not only their clever cynicism, but also their attention to the world of culture, such as in “Monkey Suitcase”, “Cosmonaut” itself, or “Kingfisher Blue”. These songs, as usual, primarily make out of the bending of punk, the modern music version of anti-culture. That said, the listener does not need this understanding, as the music is meant to engage like punk, not alternative, ironically.
Wrapping up the spirit that distinguishes these songs as opposed to the previous collection is not so easy, but suffice to say they are their own. While “Lost in My Own Room Dreaming”, “Suddenly, Last Autumn”, and several others play on the mini-solo concept, “Fefe”, “Squirrel in a Hat”, and “Cosmonaut” are the obvious source of redemption in their psychedelic parade of soft-rock vibes. There are shades of previous singles “UFO”, “Life” (the b-side), and “Black are the Flowers” in most of these songs. “Tigress”, interestingly though, is not so much a trippy guitar part as it is a relatable romantic ballad which is departing their norm.
The Monochrome Set always give a new spin, and cheerful cynicism, and bands like Dinosaur Jr, The Smiths, Mclusky, and The Eagles of Death Metal owe them something in their guitar evolution, even if they do not recognize the influence. This does not change on Cosmonaut, however, the mood of their music does somewhat mellow and in a good way favor atmosphere over energy at times. This is not their best record, but it might be their most varied and happy to date.
