Casualties of Cool: Casualties of Cool (expanded edition)

Originally released in 2014 but now available from Century Media in an expanded edition with previously unreleased material, Casualties if Cool is the ambient/country project featuring Devin Townsend & Ché Aimee Dorval, the vocalist who many will remember as appearing on Townsend's Ki album. Yes, you read that right, Devin Townsend and country mentioned in the same sentence. Truth be told, this is a pretty remarkable album, that somehow slipped under the radar for many back in 2014, partially funded by the crowdfunding site PledgeMusic and not really released with much fanfare. Somewhat of a marriage of Devin's atmospheric & ambient flavors of the Ki and Ghost releases with lush, melodic country and folk styles, Casualties of Cool is a mesmerizing album that really surprises in its simplicity and intoxicating nature. Dorval is given plenty of lead vocal slots (though Devin does sing as well), and she makes the most of it on alluring cuts such as "Daddy", "Flight", and "Hejda", while sharing the spotlight with Townsend on "The Code" and the bluesy "Pier". Much of the instrumentation consists of airy synth washes, percussion, flutes, and some acoustic guitar, all of it very meditative, ambient, and atmospheric. "Forgive Me" sees the emergence of some tasty blues guitar to saddle up next to Dorval's sultry vocals, and the haunting "Bones" contains some of the most heart wrenching melodies on the album, as Townsend's dreamy vocals float around Dorval's more passionate passages. Probably the only real 'upbeat' tracks here are "Deathscope", with its electronic drum rhythms and layers of guitars, and the majestic "The Bridge", the latter reminding very much of Devin's epic/progressive solo material.

Definitely very different but certainly quite enjoyable and rewarding, Casualty of Cool is another intriguing release from the masterful Devin Townsend. Don't be put off by the 'country' tag here, as this is nothing like the country pop that you hear all over the place these days. If you are a Townsend fan, give this one a shot if you missed it back in 2014.

Track Listing
1. "Daddy" 5:11
2. "Mountaintop" 5:33
3. "Flight" 5:32
4. "The Code" 4:41
5. "Moon" 6:28
6. "Pier" 3:39
7. "Ether" 4:50
8. "Hejda" 3:40
9. "Forgive Me" 6:00
10. "Broken" 1:59
11. "Bones" 3:39
12. "Deathscope" 6:13
13. "The Field" 4:01
14. "The Bridge" 8:13
15. "Pure" 4:08

Added: June 19th 2016
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 2001
Language: english

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