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Detritus #223 - Week of May 19, 2003
You've seen us talk about this band quite a
bit here in Detritus, and
with good reason: our contributing writer John Erigo joined the band
after his previous gig,
The Dead-End Kidz, folded. But covering
Cosmo's Moon isn't just about giving free props to Mr. Erigo! These
guys are
an up-and-coming New York band that will hopefully turn some
heads. I'm not sure what the band sounded like before Erigo
became
their singer, but I get the impression they've gone in a slightly
heavier direction. This admittedly rough demo
paints a decent picture
of what Cosmo's Moon is about, and fans of '80s hard rock should pay
attention. Opener "Push"
has an ass-kicking metal riff that *very*
closely resembles the one in Accept's "Flash Rockin' Man," and it
sports a
rippin' little guitar solo (from either Mark Valentino or his
cohort Carl Jakubowsky), nice bass work from Kevin Edell,
and some fun
gang vocals in the chorus. "Push" and closer "Just One Night," another
aggressive riffer, are the disc's
highlights for sure. "All's Fair In
Love & War" starts with a totally commercial, Van Hagar-worthy riff
before settling
into a mid-tempo AOR vibe. Extra points must also be
awarded for drummer Lucille Weidner's judicious use of the cowbell,
and
the easy, laid-back guitar soloing. The only song that didn't
really do it for me is "1,000 Lies" because it seems incomplete.
Some
of the lyrics clang around and the song doesn't flow as smoothly as
the rest of the tracks here; Erigo adds a nice
Gene Simmons growl to
his voice, and you might say the tune has a quirky charm, but in my
opinion it needs more work.
Check out the MP3.com sites listed above
for some samples. - Tim Wadzinski, Editor
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AURAL FIX MAGAZINE -
JULY, 2003
COSMO'S MOON
COSMO'S
MOON
SELF-RELEASED CD
Wonder whatever happened to 80's metal? The boys from Long Island's Cosmo's Moon don't. Matter
of fact, this quartet are doing its damndest to bring it back to the days of yore when spandex was the fabric of choice and
we didn't know the effects of hairspray on the environment. While the CD sounds like a tape that you may've recovered from
the closet, complete with low dubbed sound, the band seems to mean business, in a totally Poison/ Dokken kind of way. The
rock is flowing, and while there's not a lot of fancy stuff here, Cosmo's Moon's raise your fist and rock attitude has singlehandedly
paved the most direct route to the days of hair metal. www.cosmosmoon.tk -Mike SOS |
Detritus #235 - Week of August 12, 2003
MARK VALENTINO - AMERICAN SPIRIT (B-) Bacciagallup Music,
2003
10 tracks, RT: 49:55
www.markvalentino.tk
The first solo album from Cosmo's Moon guitarist Mark Valentino
is a
mostly-instrumental affair, consisting of eight instrumental tracks
and two with vocals. Valentino wrote, produced,
arranged, and
performed everything on AMERICAN SPIRIT so this truly is a *solo*
album, and it's a nice showcase for
his playing. His leads are
noteworthy and have a real smart, singing tone that should be his
trademark. Throughout the
album he also throws in a few tricks, like
using drastically different tones to simulate two different guitarists
playing
on the same track (as in "The Stranger," which has a nifty,
smoky/melancholy gunslinger/cowboy vibe) and churning out multiple
solos
per song (as in the ballad "For A Moment"). The three shortest
instrumentals are sparser, with "Song For A Summer Afternoon"
having
only acoustic guitar, "From Ashes To Angels" having guitars and keys,
and "Homecoming" having acoustic and electric
guitar, while the rest
are "full band" songs. Of those the best is probably "I Said What?,"
which has a raw, old Ratt-styled
riff and recalls Cinderella's
"Somebody Save Me." The two vocal tracks, at an average length of
about seven minutes,
are simply too long. Valentino has a husky voice
that fits both of the tracks well. With some tightening up "Even
Heroes
Bleed" could be a killer, FireHouse-like summer radio hit, and
"Coulda Been The One" could make for a passable ballad a
la Poison.
AMERICAN SPIRIT is a good vehicle for Valentino's songwriting and
guitar skills, but some editing and a tad
more polish in the segues
between the songs' main and solo parts would probably help push it to
the next level. - Tim
MUSIC EXTREME.COM - SEPTEMBER, 2003
COSMO´S MOON - COSMO´S MOON (Independent , 2003)
Cosmo´s Moon is a band that plays heavy
rock with heavy guitars played by Mark Valentino. Here the main thing are songs. Yes, each of the four compositions here are
songs done with good taste and are well developed making them really catchy and memorable. The singer is really clean managing
to create good melodies with his middle ranged voice. There are some good vocal harmonies in the choruses and melodic guitar
solos. The sound of this recording is a little bit raw and I think that with a more polished sound the band can sound even
better. The rhythm section here leaves a lot of space for the guitars and the vocals to develope their ideas. Here we have
pure rock and roll with loud guitars in its purest form
MUSIC EXTREME.COM - SEPTEMBER, 2003
MARK VALENTINO - AMERICAN SPIRIT (Independent , 2003)
Mark Valentino is a great guitarist and composer that here
deliver ten compositions full of melodies, energy and feeling. Here we have a guy that has a lot of technique in his playing
and at the same time his playing is full of feelings making his guitar almost sing. His trademark is the heavy bending notes
that he delivers through all the compositions. And he creates really soulful melodies that give tracks like "Aztec Sunrise"
a lot of diversity and feeling. Here we have Mark mixing rocking guitars with clean ones (as in tracks like "The Stranger")
and playing also the bass and programming the drums managing to create ten compositions that are really well developed and
will never bore you because they have a lot of variations. Here we have a guitar player that deserves to be listened a
lot.
PORK TARTARE - OCTOBER 2003
Cosmo's Moon
All's Fair in Love and War
Power
of Music Productions
You know what you're in for when the first track
of a cd starts out with the rhythmic pounding of a cowbell. Cosmo's Moons brand of high energy hard rock gives them a sound
that could easily put them in the running with many of the bands from The Decline of Western Civilization 2. Track 2 is a
driving piece of rock that would make anyone want to get out on the dance floor and kick shit around. If you catch them live
in the NY area, make sure to bring your David Lee Roth spandex pants, ripped jean jacket, cigarettes and whiskey.
Favorite Track, "PUSH"
Rubbing Elbows with:
(like mentioned above) Decline of Western Civilization 2
[ www.cosmosmoon.tk ]
Contact: cosmosmoonband@yahoo.com
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