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Album Details

• Artist: The Snake The Cross The Crown
• Album: Cotton Teeth
• Label: Equal Vision Records
• Year of Release: 2007
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: hstisgod on 2007-02-25

I never saw this coming...Just like quick aggressive moves to the face of bland music, Cotton Teeth while is stuck in such a genre, is by far the best release of this young year, 2007. The Snake, The Cross, The Crown has done it again.

What I never saw coming is a powerful acoustic blend of upbeat grassroots, clean acoustic jamming with a soothing and atmospheric tour through many different styles of rock music. Guess that's why my friend Dennis beat me to when he reviewed their first album off Equal Vision Records in 2004, Mander Salis Let's start at the heart of this diversity, track three Gypsy Melodies. I'm taken aback with the amount of newness I feel listening to this. Like the ever so subtle build-up of this clean progressive rock song is cleaning the wax of all the terrible music I've listened to from the day I was born. Towards the end, don't adjust your volume, as a revisit to the days of classic rock fade outs is made. Very much sewing up the end of what is seemingly the best track on the album after three listens.

There truly is something for everyone on here, most notably Electronic Dream Plant. Though piano is strewn throughout this disc, and the keys are always finely fingered, this song somehow makes the world of acoustic and piano echoes merge like lifelong partners. Turn to Behold The River, for the greatest continuos beat and narrative vocal harmonies.

Hey Jim is a long living breathe to the disc. While its repetitive, its done in the most retro of ways. I'm confident when I say ANY Pink Floyd fan will grab hold of this track and feel right at home. Loose, but barely distorted electric jazz-blues guitar strokes, and a roller coaster like tempo are the key components to a top three track selection here.

The closing song, Back To The Helicopter is easily the most scruffy of tracks here with an all out explosion of all instruments and sounds displayed throughout the album. All based on solid bass pedal feel, you almost want to stop what you're doing and abuse the desk or table in front of you similarly. The song ends as it started, aggressive drum beats and a boiling water sound.

At this point in the review, I'd like to point out my favorite song has to be Maps. While its not at anytime the up-tempo feel I usually go for, its just simplistic enough to grab the ear hairs that enjoy smooth writing. A basic acoustic chord is threaded through out, with the occasional jangling re-verb of the strings cause it just feels right. Eventually giving off to a classy outro of keyboard dreaming and soundboard wandering.

In the end, its really the beginning of this disc that tells the story. A soft vocal whines through with the first verse. "I wanna live on the stage. I wanna play the guitar, and I wanna get paid. But no responsibilities please, I wanna do what I want, and I wanna get paid." Then the bare xylophone like guitar is juiced up to a more eclectic echo for those very same lyrics to walk on. Rinse and repeat as the blend of guitars and bass rhythm allow the steps of a drumbeat to join in. One more time,lets repeat the lyrics, and set up for a clean and jetted guitar solo reminiscent of everyone and no one.

The Snake The Cross The Crown may not be the easiest name to remember, but its certainly unique and well written enough to remember by melody.

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