A friend of mine noted earlier this year there has developed a tiny silver lining to the Cat 5 hurricane of the pandemic. He observed that anyone still in the music business now is in it because they can’t live without it. The people who were doing it because they could, or because of peer/family pressure, or some not-so-passionate reason, well they’re gone now. Anyone you go see today that’s been in the biz since at least 2019 is doing it because of pure love for the music. You can hear that passion in the new record from Philadelphia-based Cosmic Guilt, Palace of Depression.
Composed of former members of Low Cut Connie and a few other Philly area bands, the 9-piece ensemble has purposely taken a few steps back in time to an era when the world seemed a kindler, gentler place, and psychedelic folk rock was in vogue. Take the title track as an example. It’s an upbeat number that defies the lyrically depressing thought that retreating to the ideas in one’s own mind is maybe the only happy place left in the world. They employ a similar technique on Trouble’s Hands, literally whistling past the darkness of curiosity and temptation.
You get full exposure to the benefits of the large band on Gold Miner, with layer upon layer of vocals in a psychological self-help reminder to “dig myself again”. On Soil Ceiling it’s the instrumental layers, with everything from a harpsichord to pedal steel and a raft of guitars. Yesterday’s on the Astral Plane advocates that “life happens very fast” and what’s behind you is behind you. It has a touch of Beatles pop sound to it, and made me wonder if it’s a sort of a twisted, updated response to When I’m 64. That same emotional vein gets mined in Look at the Moon, a plea to slow down and appreciate “the simple life you’ve never known.”
Cosmic Guilt is one of the hottest bands in Philadelphia right now. Whether they get propelled to wider audience is beyond knowing. But with the varied experiences each and every band member has, they’re in this band now because they really want to be, not because it was just the smart thing to do. That fun quotient comes through the speakers on Palace of Depression.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.