Cos - Babel (Reissue, Remastered) (1978/2010)

Founded in Brussels, Belgium in 1974 - Disbanded in 1984

This band's career spans over five albums released between 1974 and 1984, but the band had its roots in Classroom, a group that was formed in the second half of the 60's.. Often referred to as the Belgian answer to ZAO, they offer a mixture of prog rock, jazz and Canterbury styles, drawing their influences mainly from MAGMA, KING CRIMSON, HATFIELD AND THE NORTH, and of course, ZAO. They are led by flautist/guitarist Daniel Schell and feature the unique vocals of his wife, Pascale Son, who uses nonsense syllables to suggest a semblance of language; she also plays the oboe. The rest of the regular cast included Robert Dartsch on drums, Alain Goutier on bass and Charles Loos on keyboards for their first album, released on the ultra-small Plus label with and red and yellow stripped artwork. The band went on to tour with Magma, Zao, Univers Zero and Placebo for the next year or so. In 76, they released their absolute masterpiece Viva Boma, which is a chef d'oeuvre of Canterbury-style of music.

Each of their following albums has its own sound: "Babel", emphasizes Pascale's vocals, but also features funk/disco beats; "Swiss Chalet" has a particular African feel, but develops a New Wave-ish sound as well; as for "Pasiones", it is a strange mixture of styles (Adrian Belew-era KING CRIMSON, Canterbury, operatic and Latin American). The band folded in the mid-80's after releasing the Hotel Atlantic EP

However, their strongest are their first two releases, "Postaeolian Train Robbery" (1974) and "Viva Boma" (1976) and until recently where the only ones available. They are a mixture of jazzy and surrealistic sounds with some off-beat, humorous twists.

If you like the idea of ZAO or MAGMA with a real goofy edge (in a different but similar slant then the Dutch group of SUPERSISTER), then these two albums are highly recommended.