CocoRosie is one of those bands that only the most underground of the hipsters know but really should be recognized by more people. Of course, their style sort of gets in the way of popularity. It is typically described as a fusion of ‘freak folk’, hip hop, and electronica, but I just call it fuckin weird. That being said, it’s still an amazingly interesting sound.
CocoRosie is comprised oftwo sisters, Bianca "Coco" and Sierra "Rosie" Casady who do all vocals and most instrumental elements, with the occasional addition of a beat-boxer or bassist.
A particularly fantastic song of theirs is “Werewolf”, which was released on CocoRosie’s third studio album The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn in April of 2007. Not only is the album widely viewed as CocoRosie’s most popular album, but the song “Werewolf” has since become the bands most popular song amongst fans.
The song is a commentary onthe duo’s childhood and how, despite it being incredibly strange, they’re moving past it. You see, after their parents divorced, Bianca and Sierra’s father became interested in Native American shamanism and would often take the girls out into the desert while he took part in so called “vision quests”. This basically just involved the father consuming a large amount of peyote and tripping balls.
This is reflected in the song when the soft, almost childish sounding voice of one of the girls sings “Walking down an icy grave, leading to my Schizophrenic father. Weeping willow won’t you wallow louder, searching for my father’s power…he’s a black magic wielder some say a witch.” This, along with lines blatantly saying that their father was the one who broke up their parents’ marriage, give clear, if not odd, glimpses into CocoRosie’s past.
The actual musicality of this song is just as amazing as the lyrics. With lyrics like “You blew through me like bullet holes; left stains on my sheets and stains on my soul” being surrounded by the soft, simple, and haunting melody of the song, you can’t help but feel a little creeped out but a little bit enthralled.
I’m fairly certain that it’s impossible to listen to this song without being haunted by the melody that flows with the gentle sounds of unidentifiable instruments. Every word out of Bianca or Sierra’s mouth is just as sweetly oozing as the melody and leaves you wondering what you even just listened to. This song is well worth the listen,if only to experience what CocoRosie is all about.