Nobody likes Bass Guitar more than I do. So when the EP by Channing Cope, Sugar In Our Blood came in, I immediately put it in. Any time that a band is based around the bass, I am interested. Ali Ozkan is the bass player and singer for Channing Cope. This style is currently called Softcore, but it really is strictly rock-minimalism. Kenny Schulte's guitar fills all the niches nicely but never takes off into anything resembling a solo. The drums are mostly time keepers. The voice and bass are the focused instruments here.
Opening Track "Blackbody Curves" is the most upbeat. "Support the Mountain" is mainly a hypnotic soundscape that weaves around and through the constant, slow beat. "Parallax" starts in that same slow jazz mode, but picks up when the vocals come in. This song has more upper-end with Schulte's guitar being the lead instrument this time. "Next Year" is very meditative. It's driving drum and chant-like vocals are broken up with diverse bass lines. "From Sky to Core" uses an alternative-rock sound, but reduces it nicely to paint a mood that is intense in its simplicity. "For a Monday" starts out slow and then simply peters out altogether (okay, so I stole that from Neil Young, but it does fit the song exactly).
Softcore should not be confused with simplistic. Even though many of the bass lines sound repetitive, they really do have intricate transitions and the guitar lines, although sparse, are quality. As the opposite of Bombast, which tends to fill every inch of a song, Softcore masters like Channing Cope make music that is given room to breath and expand.
This San Diego trio has made a nice EP. It will be interesting to see how they do on a full length CD. The 29 minutes on Sugar In Our Blood show extreme promise. Channing Cope is a band to look out for.
Track Listing
1. Blackbody Curves 3:55
2. Support the Mountain 7:23
3. Parallax 3:28
4. Next Year 4:06
5. From Sky to Core 5:00
6. For a Monday 5:08
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