eMusic Review
Driving back to Portland from the Oregon coast one wet spring Sunday, my head still throbbing from a house party the night before, I listened to "Cicely" over and over and over, its fizzy analog synths, augmented chords and squirrely jazz-guitar licks proving the perfect foil for the rain-slicked forest highway outside. While International Pony (one of Koze's other projects) have a sensitive side beneath their parodic G-funk bluster, and while Koze's solo productions are uncommonly complex, he's never showed himself to be as deep — or as sentimental. Reducing the beats to a few gruff, melodic toms and the occasional squall of hi-hats, Koze focuses his energy on the bluesy melodic midrange, but his command of rhythm is such that you never feel left out in the cold; the slow, housey glide is enough to carry you wherever you want to go.
