- Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover. Stefan Goldmann and Cocoon? Yes, Sven and company have a refined A&R sense that allows them to take chances with pioneers and unknowns alike, but it's still been three years by my count (2006's "Sleepy Hollow") that the man went straight for the big room. Since then, his productions have gotten more lovingly detailed and more lovingly insular. It's techno, sure. And it works out on the floor. But you'll get just as much, if not more, on headphones in your bedroom from "Lunatic Fringe" and the like.
And while both tracks here work, to a certain extent, they seem to also fulfill that destiny. Anthemic B-side, "Under the Beam" is Goldmann mixing his relentless just-stiff-enough-to-be-funky house beat with a wild assortment of orchestral bits and bobs. They build a nice base from which synths invade proceedings to create a cosmic moment of truth halfway in before disappearing into the ether, allowing the strings to guide the track to its conclusion. Not as brave as his recent work for Victoriaville nor immediately catchy as "Sleepy Hollow," this wild and wooly track somehow falls into the category of mediocre Goldmann.
It doesn't help that the A-side is restrained enough to sound like a B-side. Goldmann once again rubs two lines against one another. They sound like tension-filled electrical wires at times, but they never quite ignite against one another. Sometimes this tension would be all you need. Here, though, it simply aggravates, leaving you wanting an explosion of some sort to occur. Ultimately, though, despite being neither Goldmann nor Cocoon's finest work, you can't help but admire both for their effort here. Goldmann and Cocoon? An unlikely match that almost worked.
Tracklist A Yes To All
B Under The Beam