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"Smashing debut makes you long to hear from Cober again and again" --Tom Scanlon, The Seattle Times "Melodic, edgy, and passionate--everything you want from a modern-guitar album. Bravo!"--Michael Molenda, Editor-In-Chief, GUITAR PLAYER The Stranger (3/21/2002) COBER (Central Saloon) Sheila Bommakanti is not a large person. Kind of small, really. But she brings a brimming, compelling talent to bear as the leader of Cober, a local rock band you need to know about. Bommakanti, an accomplished guitarist, songwriter, and arranger who sings out the top of her head, recombines several unlikely musical strands into an unprecedented amalgam: the loping, effects-laden dread of such circa-1981 Brit postpunks as the Comsat Angels and the Cure of "A Forest"; the single-minded power and desolate beauty of "Fade to Black"-era Metallica; and the whisper-to-wail vocal palette that made the early Kat Bjelland (of Babes in Toyland, lest we forget) so riveting. Cober's album Crashpilot contains eight addictive songs and a lovely nine-minute closing instrumental (hidden at track 92, in case you get confused!). I'd rank it as the best Northwest debut since the eponymous Jessamine and Sleater-Kinney albums of 1995, if not the inaugural releases of Built to Spill and Heavens to Betsy (both 1993), all four of which it recalls in its promise and aesthetic clarity. In person Cober is fiercer, heavier, and funnier than on the CD (not even a bit goth, as it happens), so now's the time t'get with it! --TOM KIPP "Cober's debut CD, Crashpilot, is a beautifully complex mix of alternative rock sounds....her songs speak of lies, ambiguity, and the search for life's purposes, and her startlingly deep, dark voice bounces off the careening chords on her guitar..." --Lisa Tsering, India West ROCKPILE (7/2002) The music of Cober--a melodic, goth-influenced band hailing from Seattle--leads one to speculate whether Hole would still be a viable force in rock had Kurt Cobain lived to ghost write his wife's material. As distasteful as it is to mention Courtney Love in reference to any artist with genuine talent, Cober's astoundingly gifted singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Sheila Bommakanti has crafted a nearly flawless debut, Crashpilot, sure to remind many of Live Through This-era Hole. With this said, there's so much more going on here. "After Dark," a tale of unrequited love and its subsequent surrender (sample lyric: "I am a victim to myself") shares the cathartic quality of anything found on The Cure's two indispensable '80s albums Seventeen Seconds and Faith. Likewise, a song like "Nightlight" recalls the atmospheric guitar work of Echo and the Bunnymen and early-'80s U2. Odd chord progressions and Bommakanti's incomparably expressive vocals alternating between a seductive whisper, a haunting wail and shades in between nudge the listener further into Crashpilot's disquieting dreamworld in a quietly soul-wrenching way. Just as the languid "Call it What it is" slowly builds in intensity but never quite reaches the point of release, this album leaves its hooks in you beyond repeated spins. --Gail Worley FAC193 (9/2002) www.fac193.com The review for this album comes a little late -- it came out in 2000, for God's sake -- but when I first read about this band on another website, I had to check it out. I'm glad I did. Cober encapsulates everything that's good about dark, brooding music on its debut full length, Crashpilot. The sound -- exemplified by Sheila Bommakanti's velvety croon and twinkling minor-key guitar choruses -- can easily be compared to bands like Hole, L7 and The Cure. And it has, by more than one lazy music journalist in the past. But to limit oneself solely to those three bands would be crippling, at best. Sure, Bommakanti (the brainchild and primary instrumentalist behind Cober) comes off as a sort of Courtney Love-hound at times (yes, sometimes more than others). But her voice carries a passion with it that the former Hole front-lady sometimes lacked. When Love screamed, she sounded pissed. When Bommakanti screams, she sounds not only pissed, but hurt, tortured and almost irreparably scarred, to boot. That's important stuff on a rock record: the ability to emote and be a believable cat at the same time. Coupled with Bommakanti's spooky guitars, it's not only believable, it's spectral. And those guitars: again, sure the arpeggios sparkle like lights in a Disneyland theme ride at night, bringing a decidedly Cure-like feel to the proceedings. Sure, the thump of the minor-key bass brings to mind bands such as Depeche Mode and New Order (albeit without the techno twist). But Bommakanti seems to take an almost militaristic approach to her talent with an effects pedal: every track showcases a new, intriguing sound to be explored and lost in. Like the plot of a Hans Christian Anderson children's story, they supply the subversive thread that the rest of the song seems to follow. Even when she's supplying simple, feedback-drenched bends, she tweaks them like she means it. The result is seamless. It's not in your face. It's just there. Where it's supposed to be. "After Dark," for example, begins with a Disintegration-era Cure bass riff before a distorted guitar screams in from the distance, wailing and crying like a jilted banshee. "Nightlight," on the other hand, begins with a chiming arpeggiated riff, a lonely ship's bell cutting into a fog-soaked night. And album opener "Call It What It Is..." is a waltz-like number centered around a yearning, delayed guitar riff, evoking the mood of the struggle of the song. Listening to the album is like getting caught in a pool of molasses. The beats are slow and heavy as all Hell, and the mood is similar to the one you feel after -- and this is a very hackneyed line here -- the one after your best lover's broken up with you. Actually, it's the one you feel a week after, when the hurt takes on a tinge of purple, melancholic hope. Only a little, though. And I mean a smidgeon. The only real departure from the apocalyptic beats and drudging bass lines is in the upbeat New Wave of "Handprints," but even then the melancholy remains. It's like Bommakanti can't get loss out of her head, and it's driving her interminably and utterly demented. But anyone who's that disturbed couldn't possibly make an album of this breadth and beauty. Could they? "Crashpilot," the debut album by the Seattle band Cober, reverberates with some of the best qualities of the Cure, Hole, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Sonic Youth and Concrete Blonde. But the album is more than recycled alternative rock. The title track drips along like maple syrup, and Sheila Bommakanti's sleepy, seductive voice and slow-motion guitar playing only thicken the molasses. --Lewis Taylor, The Register-Guard "Cober, gothish Seattle band, is fronted by singer guitarist Sheila Bommakanti who displays a great voice, full bodied and with presence to spare on the debut album, Crashpilot." --Stan Hall, The Oregonian "Cober may just have invented the artfully pretty wail...." --Amy Leach, SPLENDID (4/27/2002) Cober, which at the time of this release consisted solely of Sheila Bommakanti, sounds like a fantasy mixture of various emotionally-troubled artists. There's a heavy dose of The Cure (most notably on the title track), a bit of Garbage (note the vocal effects on "Handprints") and a slew of Hole-esque moments. The main distinction between Bommakanti and Courtney Love is that when Love screams out her lyrics, she's likely to make you cringe, but Bommakanti somehow stays consistently in key, even when she's screaming at the top of her lungs. It's not an easy thing to do; I tried in the car -- it was awful. Cober may just have invented the artfully pretty wail. There are also notes of the darker, more powerful moments produced by Elysian Fields. "After Dark" sounds very much like a song that would fit nicely on Bleed Your Cedar, were Elysian Fields to take things up a notch. The album's dark, near gothic tone is in perfect sync with the lyrics -- which, sometimes cryptically, speak of fear, doubt, forgiveness, deception and betrayal. On "Quicksand", Bommakanti sings, "And I see all who loathe / love me / I'm what you hoped I'd never be." She's not a happy-go-lucky type of gal (at least not in the world of making music), but you should be happy to get your hands on Crashpilot. Cober claims to sound unlike most current music, and while there are certain, obvious influences, they're correct in labeling themselves this way. If this album had come out in 1992, there would probably have been a slew of similar artists, but they've all either disappeared or moved on to a new sound. Bommakanti is unique in that not only did she stay true to the sort of music she was inspired to create, but much to our benefit, she perfected it and took it farther than many of her better-known predecessors. --Amy Leach, SPLENDID (www.splendidezine.com) West Coast Performer (6/2002) Sheila Bommakanti and Leilani LaGuardia are weeping mistresses of ripe pain and misery. A folk inflection touches Bommakanti's vocal delivery, adding an almost Cowboy Junkies' vibe to the dripping sounds. The effort began as a solo project for the extremely talented Bommakanti (who sings and plays guitar, bass, and mandolin). Now, LaGuardia has joined in on guitars to complete the Cober vision. What is this vision exactly? It involves introspective lyrics about pain, death, and alienation -- everything that makes up a good goth or death rock album. With lyrics such as "All your dreams/Go up in smoke. So breathe this now/Before you go" (from "Handprints"), it isn't surprising that Cober are frequently compared to bands such as Siouxsie and the Banshees and Mazzy Starr. With Crashpilot, Cober straddles the area between heartfelt singer/songwriter music and the darker side of death rock music. It seems quite appropriate that the gloominess of Seattle can inspire and pervade songs such as "Crashpilot," This title song laments knowledge about something you would rather not be privy to. As talented as these women are (and if the album is any indication, they have this in spades), Crashpilot feels alone in its delivery. The effort leaves an aftertaste as if Cober blew their entire wad at the racetrack to make their first, and only, album. Of course, this is merely conjecture. Time will tell if Cober has more tricks up their sleeve to share with the public. --Mai Le, West Coast Performer (www.performermag.com) Crashpilot is a dark and forceful record that features Sheila V. Bommakanti performing all of the musical duties (vocals, guitar, bass, mandolin) with the exception of drums. Bommakanti's guitar playing brings to mind The Cure (especially the songs "Nightlight" and "Crashpilot") with a lethargic pace that lends cause to her equally sluggish vocals which come out with a seductive haze, as though she is emerging from a sedative / alcohol-induced sleep. Peaking only occasionally with ferocity, Bommakanti's vocals are punctuated by muted moans, with enunciation reminiscent of Hope Sandoval (Mazzy Star) and Chan Marshall (Cat Power). The music of Cober is quite painful - but in a good way - almost like a horrible workout that leaves you sore and grouchy, but eventually builds wonderful, gorgeous muscles. - Nicole Seredszun, SYNTHESIS My Bloody Valentine meets Sonic Youth with a touch of Low, a sliver of early Veruca Salt, a bit of Babes in Toyland and a scream or two in the name of Courtney Love with a whole lot of early Cure in Cober (aka Sheila V. Bommakanti) debut Crashpilot. A lesson in patience, Crashpilot is an 8 track collection of mid-tempo, electric-guitar and drum driven tunes where Sheila's syrupy but strong vocals make for a series of crescendos and crashing always accented by a strong, steady beat that in it's repetition, drills into you like a never-ending dream....Thick as molasses and rich in dreamy downers Crashpilot is a great retrospective thumbs up to some of the great core alternative bands of the 80's with Sheila doing the job of an entire crew. Lose yourself in the seductive voice of Cober while drifting off in the repetitions of the early Cure meets Sonic Youth guitars of this indie wonder. College radio and modern rock stations should be sharing "Handprints" while I drift away in the title track "Crashpilot" & "Winnebago." "Quicksand," the spooky finale only left me raging for more and we'll be sure to catch Cober playing here in her hometown of Seattle. --Melyssa Harmon, Get Fancy! Magazine Cober is : Sheila Bommakanti - guitars + vocals Thanks for checking Cober out at CD Baby! Visit the website at www.cober.org and drop me a line........ -Cober Check out the artist's website: http://www.cober.org/ Track List: 1. Call it what it is....call it what you want 2. After Dark 3. The Milky Way 4. Nightlight 5. Winnebago 6. Crashpilot 7. Handprints 8. Quicksand 9. Bonus Track 10. Bonus Track 11. Bonus Track 12. Bonus Track 13. Bonus Track 14. Bonus Track 15. Bonus Track 16. Bonus Track 17. Bonus Track 18. Bonus Track 19. Bonus Track 20. Bonus Track 21. Bonus Track 22. Bonus Track 23. Bonus Track 24. Bonus Track 25. Bonus Track 26. Bonus Track 27. Bonus Track 28. Bonus Track 29. Bonus Track 30. Bonus Track 31. Bonus Track 32. Bonus Track 33. Bonus Track 34. Bonus Track 35. Bonus Track 36. Bonus Track 37. Bonus Track 38. Bonus Track 39. Bonus Track 40. Bonus Track 41. Bonus Track 42. Bonus Track 43. Bonus Track 44. Bonus Track 45. Bonus Track 46. Bonus Track 47. Bonus Track 49. Bonus Track 50. Bonus Track 51. Bonus Track 52. Bonus Track 53. Bonus Track 54. Bonus Track 55. Bonus Track 56. Bonus Track 57. Bonus Track 58. Bonus Track 59. Bonus Track 60. Bonus Track 61. Bonus Track 62. Bonus Track 63. Bonus Track 64. Bonus Track 65. Bonus Track 66. Bonus Track 67. Bonus Track 68. Bonus Track 69. Bonus Track 70. Bonus Track 71. Bonus Track 72. Bonus Track 73. Bonus Track 74. Bonus Track 75. Bonus Track 76. Bonus Track 77. Bonus Track 78. Bonus Track 79. Bonus Track 80. Bonus Track 81. Bonus Track 82. Bonus Track 83. Bonus Track 84. Bonus Track 85. Bonus Track 86. Bonus Track 87. Bonus Track 88. Bonus Track 89. Bonus Track 90. Bonus Track 91. Bonus Track 92. Hidden Track Suggested CDs:Other Genres:
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