Freeland Copes

Adam Freeland is probably known more for his ground breaking, breaks work on Marine Parade than anything else. So it came as quite a shock to me to find out that he's actually put together a band that's just released their second album called Cope. I'm not sure where I've been but apparently it's been away from the Marine Parade, I mean parade long enough not to realize that Freeland has stopped doing breaks records and is now making band oriented electronica.

Shock and disbelief aside, Copeis an amazing record that runs the gamut of electronic music over the course of its twelve songs. With songs that sound like Nine Inch Nails outtakes, Calvin Harris on a power trip, and synthesizers hanging on for dear life, Cope is a record that covers it all and then some. While that's usually a drawback for most producers, Freeland has been doing this long enough to know how to weave all those influences and ideas into one solid cohesive album that kicks some serious butt. Yes, this is an electro album, but it's a BAND based electro album and as a result it's as if the songs that were written were actually written by the band. That's a shocking concept for the world of dance music.

Rather than just being banger after banger, Cope has a depth to it, which most other electronic records simply don't. It's so organic that Calvin Harris probably even learned a thing or two watching Freeland and his band work on this record. The results of the band's cohesion is evident as the songs here are ethereal, extremely catchy, destructive, and more than anything really quite smashing. While Cope is a long way off from so much of Freeland's past work and it's truly impressive to see how he's developed into a versatile, open minded artist who not only embraces where he comes from but adds to it and makes it better.

Cope is a super strong album that never ceases to amaze. Whether it's the nearly Cocteau Twinish feel of, "Silent Speaking," or the crazy instrumental of, "Best Fish Tacos in Ensenda," the record covers the map and then some and has a lot of fun doing so. While this record might not be packed with 12 singles, it is one of the best electronic albums I've heard all year and as a result, I will now keep tabs on Mr. Freeland and no longer let the parade roll on by.