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So there is a band named Cookies. I like the name although it is a little difficult to Google (do you have any idea of how many food sites there are out there?). Apparently this is a Brooklyn-based three piece which consists of Ben Sterling (who apparently is also in another band called Mobius Band, who i have never heard of), Melissa Metrick, and Ian Ainley. Apparently the other two are not in any other bands, or at least, not in any other bands their press people thought to name.
However, the music on this single is really made by a four-piece band, as Colin Stetson adds saxophone to both tunes. You may know Colin Stetson from such things as our review of his solo show at SxSW 2010, or perhaps his participation in Arcade Fire.
This is a digital single, with two songs, one called Crybaby (A) and the other Crybaby (B). However, what is really going on here is two different mixes of the same song.
The A-side version is a funky dance-pop tune that is definitely influenced by LCD Soundsystem. Wait, did i really just type that? I only became aware of LCD Soundsystem in 2005, but their Wikipedia page indicates the existed in NYC for three years before that... Huh, well, i guess 10 years is long enough for a band to influence the next generation. And by "LCD Soundsystem-influenced" what i mean is: Sterling sort of croons his way through the song with Metrick adding backing vocals, all over a funky bass riff and some steady electro percussion. Stetson adds a nice sax solo in the middle, which gives the tune an early 1980s kind of feel to it.
The B-side version is a mellower, dubbier remix of the song. There are washes of synths and lots of handclaps. Actually, when i listen to this sparser version, i am reminded of Prince. This could easily have been done by The Purple One back in the mid 1980s, in one of his mellower moments. Stetson's solo shines better in this version away from the spastic bass and drum machine of the A-side. I think i prefer this version, but just slightly.
Overall, this is a fun little single. And the good news for you, gentle reader, is that Cookies are giving it away. Both Soundcloud and their website have links where you can get both versions of the song for free. This is interesting enough to be worth your download time.
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