Vault: Volume 1

Cossa, Benjie – Benjie Cossa’s Vault: Volume 1 – Magic Marker Records
Reviewed by Peter 12-15-2005

Cossa made an A-file appearance earlier this year as part of the A House Full of Friends collection (I highly recommend that track). Apparently, this is the first release consisting of exclusively his songs, rather than compilations or self-released singles.
The material is solid and consistent – mostly lo-fi, folk-influenced pop songs with acoustic strumming and electric moments woven in. I found that the longer songs tended to be more substantial in not only time, but in song-writing as well. The beginning of the album is a good assortment of short, varied pieces; the second half may be more memorable, though perhaps less varied.
Nothing to go wrong with here, but watch the false and abrupt endings on 4 and ten respectively.

FCC Clean
1. 0:53 Mellow, mid-tempo banjo and whistling.
2. * 2:00 Cheery, mid-tempo folk-pop with strummy guitars and dominant vocals.
3. 1:20 Down-tempo, starts with more minor guitars, includes oboe (?).
4. 1:37 Title explains it – simple ukulele strumming and vocals – abrupt false ending at t - :30.
5. 2:15 Noisy start, then guitar/vox combo again with strings (?), electric guitar halfway through, overlapping vocals, other effects.
6. 2:03 Electric, driving, dirty guitar riffs; vox is a clear and poppy as every, though.
7. 1:55 Stripped down, simple acoustic guitar and clear vocals harmonies. Electric guitar comes in towards end.
8. 1:47 Interesting combo of old-time folk guitar, pop vocals, and (later) a heavy electric rock bass line.
9. 0:25 Short (wordless) vox over simple guitar.
10. * 3:56 Nice simple pop – fast strumming balanced by calm vocals and slow, even, bass line. Straightforward and nicely done. *Abrupt ending at t - :11 (sounds cut off)
11. 3:02 Bouncy pop – lyrics aren’t cheerful, but the overall feel is a warm one.
12. * 4:32 Starts with a strong folk feel in guitars, vox introduce pop – more developed lyrics (I thought of Lou Reed for some reason) – nice.
13. * 3:15 False start, then uptempo pop, acoustic throughout, with electric interludes in the middle, whistling, and decent lyrics.
14. 0:38 Toy sounds – bells, rattle, train whistle, boings, etc.
15. 2:59 Female backup singers a la doowop, or the like. Straightforward acoustic guitar strumming and vox – repetition.
16. 2:54 Love song with acoustic strumming, loud, clear male vox and female supporting vox somewhere underneath.
17. * 4:23 Midtempo, cheery, laid-back. Acoustic strumming, electric riff and vocal harmonies – leaves you with a smile :)