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Copesetic
Johnny Cummings
Richard IV Studios, 2003
REVIEW BY: Jason Warburg
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 03/26/2004
Brief even by EP standards, Johnny Cummings' debut disc Copesetic is a challenge to review, clocking in as it doesat four songs and just over 15 minutes. The good news is, I didn'tmind at all hearing these songs several times in a row.
The diversity of this quartet of tracks makes it difficult toslap a simple label on them, but you could call it alt-rock forover-thinkers. Heavier than Fountains of Wayne, deeper thanNickelback, more esoteric than Gin Blossoms, Johnny Cummings is anintriguing mix of ego and id, introspective intelligence andchord-crunching rock.
He starts off heavy with the bludgeoning, almost metallicopening to "Suffocate Me," slamming home a complex sequence ofriffs that reminded me of Dream Theater's John Petrucci. The lyricsare a step above what you might expect from the throbbing music,though -- the venting of a damaged soul trapped in aself-destructive relationship. And even at his angriest, Cummings'vocals are crisp and clear.
Next up (sorry, with four tracks it's tough not go one-by-one)is the more mid-tempo and melodic "Too Far," whose once-againintrospective lyric unfolds over solid riffing from Cummings. Thecut has a nice full sound that belies the fact that Cummings playsmost of the instruments (guitar, bass, piano), with assistance onlyfrom drummer Joe Myers and occasional rhythm guitarist MattQuistorf.
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