Studio Album, 2012

3.74 | 54 ratings
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Mind Games
Cosmos Neo-Prog

Review by tszirmay
Special Collaborator Crossover Team

Cosmos is a Swiss group that has a particular fondness for classic Pink Floyd,
perhaps close to Airbag from Norway, which only continues to prove that Floyd has a
way of inspiring musicians the world over. All the specific details are there, the bleeding
guitar smothered in blues-effects, the rolling organ and synth backdrops, a muscular yet
simple bass guitar and a metronome beat that only wishes to obey the pulse. The vocals
are generally hushed giving the female vocalists a fairly large chunk of the spotlight. The
result is a most pleasant journey into a musical land obscured by a few clouds and
reverential disposition. If you are looking for some newfangled 'flavor of the month
future sound of rock', this will not be your stereophonic paradise, so please move on. If
you are okay with overt influences, then be my guest and indulge in some "Mind
Games".

shrouded "Contact" starts off impressively, axe meister Oliver Maier has the Gilmour
deal down to a science, while keyboardist Daniel Eggenberger sweeps his colorations
along. Drummer/vocalist Reto Iseli thumps loopingly along as his confrere Heiko Garm
carves some thick bass lines. Moody, atmospheric and ethereal, the spirits bloom in a
slow motion that seduces inexorably, in definitely comfortable expanses that we all know
and love. There are some genial moments here such as the scavenging bass amid the
vocoder vocals, which though hardly original, is still riveting to these ears. The mellotron
outro is super cool.
The following "Skygarden" is almost a segue, a similar flowing mood keeps the cross
hairs on the target, the male voice (Iseli) very near David Gilmour territory, as Maier
shows off his learned skills on the guitar. To be frank, his tone is a tad more concrete and
hard that the Floyd man.

On "Lost Years" the shift is definitely blues-based, lyrics about 'rock n roll stars playing a
mean guitar', drenched in both nostalgia and melancholia, the infusion of electric piano
and hushed female backing vocals give the extended axe solo even more emphasis,
tortured strings and sizzling rhythms. Garm propels this piece nicely yet firmly, a
delightful ride.

Pinging synthesizers and scuffling guitars certainly shift this into unPink territory, "Freak
Show" offers choppy beats, gurgling rhythms and all kinds of variations that turn this into
another guitar solo spot, where the tradition comes through the clouds. The female lead
vocals come as a pleasant surprise, a jaunty affair that again delivers some interesting
reactions.

Electric piano leads the jazzy urban cool of "No Point of Living", making one believe
that this is some lost 10cc track, until that massive wallop guitar enters the fray, shoving
this into the stratosphere with flaming despair, mattressed by some dense choir vocals.
This confrontation between jazz, pop, blues and space is enjoyable and fun.

The brief "Hollow Man" is probably closer to PF than many of the other tracks, though it
does own a harder delivery, chugging riffs notwithstanding. This is almost like a potential
single for FM airplay, a superb song that has all the goods needed to stick in one's mind,
especially the incredible lady vocals and the searing solo that only confirms the bliss.

The highlight track for many listeners will be "Paranoia", a thickly distinctive beat,
ticking and tocking incessantly, a sense of Kafkaesque numbness, with a slowly
morphing electric guitar appearance, pools of echoing e-piano, rippling synths, pained
voices and forlorn vocals that hint at Waters. Play this to an unsuspecting friend and he
would have bet his shirt and tie that this was part of the Endless River sessions. Maier
unleashes a doozie and we all wonder who the hell is behind our back, ready to strike.

The sizzling "There Are a Million Reasons" is quite incongruous in that its starts off in
uncharted territory, an original build-up that fuses smoky jazz and more urban blues,
forming it into a heady concoction that flashes through, unafraid. I was thinking classic
Manfred Mann's Earth Band there for a while until that darned e-piano really got my
attention, a delicious innovation that shows off incredible versatility. Maybe my favorite
piece here. "Close to the Edge" is not the Yes track, though the thought was exciting for a
second. It's in fact a somber piece, doom and gloom not shying from the attention, a
quirky guitar phrasing, low key piano insanity and guest Mirjiam Heggendorn's sweet
vocals. The Garm bass steadies the star-ship, perfectly balanced and resolute.

The longest and perhaps the finest piece here is the finale "Sequences", clocking in over 8
minutes, and it has that menacing rumble of "One of These Days", easily one of PF's
classic tracks, certainly in terms of build-up, spiraling into a radical guitar exercise that
has all sorts of delirious benefits. Iseli and Garm push this along with sturdy
determination, a most enjoyable voyage indeed.

This is an album that will engender a complete cross-section of opinions, eschewing any
kind of conformity, some will love it, others hating it , while some just agreeing to its
natural delivery. In lieu of Floyd's recent activity, this should not come across as either
plagiarism or hindrance, just a quartet of Swiss musicians who really dig the Flying Pig
and enjoy wearing their idols influence on their sleeves.

4 head toys

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Posted Saturday, February 14, 2015 | Review this album | Report (Review #1368804)
 Studio Album, 2012
3.74 | 54 ratings

Mind Games
Cosmos Neo-Prog

Review by Progulator
Prog Reviewer

If I ever heard a band that was very thoroughly Pink Floyd inspired, the Swiss
progger's known as Cosmos would be it. Every single nuance is there, from chord
changes to textures and guitar solos. It's all spot on, and there were moments that I
seriously could have been fooled that this was not a Pink Floyde album. This isn't to say
that Cosmos doesn't add any unique elements; there are little bits of jazz and funk
sprinkled in that are not so Floydian, as well as some astoundingly beautiful female
vocals making appearances. So, how does Mind Games hold up? Compositionally, it's
very good, there are never awkward moments, and just about every section counts. The
entire album has a bit of a dark and dreary atmosphere to it, which I really dig (see the
intro to "Close to the Edge" to see what I mean), and the performances are superbly
executed. If you're a fan of Pink Floyd and don't get disturbed by bands mimicking the
style, and doing a really good job at it (so good, in fact that you may prefer this over
some Floyd albums), then Cosmos is a band for you.

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Posted Sunday, October 12, 2014 | Review this album | Report (Review #1290509)
 Studio Album, 2006
3.90 | 50 ratings
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Skygarden
Cosmos Neo-Prog

Review by robbob

Well .Cosmos.Space Rock. Sky garden.

This is the most clone band of Pink Floyd in the hole world.

This album is totally inspired in Pink Floyd s Wish You Were Here to The Wall period.

If you don t see the cover and you listen to it you ll say ow! a good new album from PF.

They sing like PF,they play like PF and sounds like PF.

So this is a good album.Very good songs,good arrangements ,very well recorded...and is

in the line of my favourite Pink Floyd period from Wish You Were here..passing to
Animals and finishing with The Wall.

So I insist if this work had been a work of PF at least 4 stars..but this is a Cosmos
album...a clone album and this guys are not ashamed to be clones.

RPWL for example is quite a PF clone band but mainly in their last albums they have
made some work that has nothing to do with Pink Floyd ans is more in the line of the
crossover prog more than in the line of the psychedelic space rock.