The brilliantly named Cosmo Jarvis, a talented young man from Devon, England, is someone who may well get his fair share of column inches in the music press this year. A little unknown band called Muse gave him a leg up when they invited him to support them at a huge homecoming gig in Teignmouth last September, an accolade that put his name on the map and no doubt won over some new fans.
Humasyouhitch/Sonofabitch, is his debut album, a double one at that, yet a bold move that seems to largely pay off. It’s difficult pinning down Cosmo Jarvis to a particular sound as his musical palette draws from a variety of different genres, from ska and pop to folk and rock, a refreshing change to the current overpopulated market of singer-songwriters proudly waving the flag of mediocrity.
This eclectic collection of songs take us on a journey of youthful tales, documenting the trials and tribulations of a young man, from relationship woes to cleaning your room up – we’ve all been there. The subject of girls are a reoccurring feature on several tracks, and by the sounds of it he’s hardly lived a sheltered life, with Melanie, Maxine and Kate all getting a worthy mention.
‘Mel’s song‘ is the standout track, perfect festival fodder, arm swaying material – one that should appeal to the likes of Radio 1 and more credible alternative radio stations. Jarvis belts out the memorable chorus ‘Melanie won’t you spend the day with me, I don’t know how to spell your second name but I’ll try’, and demonstrates his canny knack of conveying emotion without taking himself too seriously. The ability to articulate his thoughts into witty rhymes serves him well on many of the album’s other tracks too. Unfortunately this habit of not taking himself too seriously can occasionally backfire when the humour is stretched a bit too far and just sounds plain silly, but this is only a minor blip and not frequent enough to be that noticeable.
Jarvis’ vocal style echoes shades of Jamie T, which he adapts to fit the mood of a song, from being gentle to rough as nails, as evident on ‘Problems’, one of the album’s heavier moments. The spoken segments at the beginning and end of a number of tracks are a nice touch, giving them an organic feel and proving that leaving the fat on certain song’s can benefit the flow of an album. Jarvis has a good enough voice to be singing all the time, at least when a song lends itself to being sung and not spoken – something I’d like to hear him focus more on in future releases.
The second side to this album, ‘Sonofabitch‘, is musically more ambitious and focused. It tackles darker subjects that are dealt with in a graceful manner, namely ‘Mummy’s Been Drinking‘, which tarnishes any one-trick-pony tags as Jarvis demonstrates his multi-talented musical prowess and reels off a touching piano solo.
‘Sort Yourself Out‘ is a poignant moment on this side of the album, whereby he seems to find himself at a crossroad and contemplates where his life is going .’You come home and you look around your room, at your Superman collection, why can’t I fly, you say, and you think about where all of this is going.‘ ‘Lonely Stroll‘ is also worthy of a mention as it features his finest vocal yet and a glimpse into a side of Jarvis that I hope he’ll capitalize more on.
Cosmo Jarvis certainly has a good ear for melody, as most tracks are underpinned with catchy hooks. This skill he as honed previews a level of potential that could be used better to his advantage in the future, yet for now there is enough here to create enough noise in the industry, gain a following and get his foot in the door.
Matt Humphrey
