Album Review: Koop - Islands

Take the old soulful feel of Amy Winehouse, clean up the lyrics, and add a cup of sunshine and that’s the new 30 minute album from Koop, Koop Islands.  A departure from their sophmore album, Waltz With Koop, this album mixes electronics in much more subtlely and experiments in a lighter softer sound.  I’ve got to give credit to reviewer Russell Leeming for perfectly describing Koop as “Portishead on Prozac.”

While the whole album is an easy listen (and a short one at that), the two tracks that are sticking out to me are the openers.  Koop Island Blues features accordians, muted trumpets, and clarinets gently crashing under breathy vocals provided by Ane Rum.  The second track, Come To Me, includes the beautiful Yukimi Nagano lamenting over her loneliness with a bubble gum electro wood block rhythm.  Get the album and pair it with a roof top deck packed with a dozen friends.