{"id":27895,"date":"2017-09-29T11:40:00","date_gmt":"2017-09-29T19:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/?p=27895"},"modified":"2017-10-01T11:43:04","modified_gmt":"2017-10-01T19:43:04","slug":"review-mondo-cozmo-ends-180-days-on-the-road-with-triumphant-homecoming-show-at-el-rey-theater","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/2017-09\/review-mondo-cozmo-ends-180-days-on-the-road-with-triumphant-homecoming-show-at-el-rey-theater\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Mondo Cozmo Ends 180 Days On the Road With Triumphant Homecoming Show at El Rey Theater"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Anticipation ran high inside the sold-out\u00a0El Rey Theater<\/strong> this week as Mondo Cozmo’s<\/strong><\/a> hometown fans filled the welcoming art-deco venue for the newly-anointed (by us)\u00a0Best New Band of 2017<\/strong>. We had\u00a0tasted the anthemic powers of the band live in July<\/strong><\/a>, but after touring non-stop for 180 days<\/strong> (as leader Josh Ostrander<\/strong> emphasized to the crowd) these gifted and indefatigable musicians have taken their art higher and higher. As Ostrander<\/strong> would say, “this is what not giving up looks like!” Mondo Cozmo<\/strong> is rounded out perfectly with talented band members\u00a0Drew Beck<\/strong> on guitar,\u00a0James Gordon<\/strong> on keys\/vocals,\u00a0Chris Null<\/strong> on bass\/vocals and\u00a0Andrew Tolman<\/strong>\u00a0on drums. Null’s<\/strong> stellar bass lines, stage antics and vocals stood out more this night than in July when he seemed (understandably) exhausted.<\/p>\n

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Just as they did in July, Mondo Cozmo<\/strong> came out at the El Rey<\/strong> with the slow-build-and-bash of\u00a0Chemical Dream<\/strong><\/em>, with Ostrander<\/strong> stalking the stage before taking the audience to a\u00a0Higher<\/strong><\/em><\/a> place. The crowd was instantly won over and in step with their hometown heroes and enraptured as Ostrander<\/strong>\u00a0played musical Pied Piper and implored all to Come With Me\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>on that incessant rocker. After down-shifting briefly and de-jacketing for the affecting ballad Angel<\/strong><\/em>, the band performed the unreleased song Future Bends<\/strong><\/em>, with its gripping nods to Neil Young<\/strong> (‘My my, hey hey”) and Thunder Road<\/strong><\/em>-era<\/strong>\u00a0Springsteen<\/strong> (“‘Cause tramps like us were born to die”). Hold On to Me<\/strong><\/em>, filled with its seeker yearning, brought the first chills of the night. Hit single\u00a0Shine<\/strong><\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>followed with its prayerful, everyman-Jesus emphases and the crowd singing along at the top of their lungs. Thunder<\/strong><\/em> then lit up the room with its Radiohead\/Boss<\/strong> elements and powerful lyrics, ending with Beck<\/strong> and Null<\/strong>\u00a0in musical scrum and Null<\/strong>\u00a0falling to the floor to finish the song on his back.\u00a0The new album’s great and languid title-track<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0followed with its well-wrought time-travel homage to a lover featuring ghosted-harmonies and Tolman<\/strong> galvanizing with his effortlessly fantastic drum rolls. We are rarely impressed when new bands do cover songs, but Mondo Cozmo’s<\/strong> cover of The Verve’s Bittersweet Symphony<\/em><\/strong> was gigantic with the band pouring everything they had into the song to magnificent effect (Beck’s<\/strong> guitar added immensely to the cover). Ostrander<\/strong>\u00a0then succumbed to the 180 days of effort and collapsed to his back before bouncing back to give a great reading of Bowie’s Heroes<\/em><\/strong> and closing the night with\u00a0the extraordinarily catchy and striking single\u00a0Automatic<\/strong><\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

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With the El Rey<\/strong> crowd giving the band a hero’s welcome, it was a perfect homecoming for a band well on its way to deserved artistic and other riches. Catch ’em if you can (they will head out shortly to support Spoon<\/strong> for a bit–a phenomenal double-bill).<\/p>\n

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Their outstanding debut album Plastic Soul<\/strong> <\/em>is out on Republic Records<\/strong><\/a>, and you can order it HERE<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n


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Setlist<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Chemical Dream
\nHigher
\nCome With Me
\nAngel
\nFuture Bends
\nHold On to Me
\nShine
\nThunder
\nPlastic Soul
\nBitter Sweet Symphony
\n11 Acre
\nHeroes
\nAutomatic<\/p>\n

Photos by LA Music Scene<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Anticipation ran high inside the sold-out\u00a0El Rey Theater this week as Mondo Cozmo’s hometown fans filled the welcoming art-deco venue for the newly-anointed (by us)\u00a0Best New Band of 2017. We had\u00a0tasted the anthemic powers of the band live in July, but after touring non-stop for 180 days (as leader Josh Ostrander emphasized to the crowd) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-music"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t