Gyroscope- Cohesion

Cohesion is Gyroscope's fourth album. It was released in 2010, two years after Breed Obsession.

Live Without You kicks off with a snappy and interesting verses. Unfortunately, the chorus lets down the team. I Still Taste Blood reverses the situation- a great chorus but forgettable verses. Of the two songs, somehow I prefer the I Still Taste Blood (which perhaps indicates that choruses are more important than verses?!).

My sole reason for buying this album was hearing Baby I'm Getting Better on the radio. Maybe my memory is playing tricks on me, but on listening to it recently I was a bit surprised at how quick the tempo is. Anyway, the music is pretty generic, with only the occasional interesting chord progression to spice things up. But the narrative is absolutely inspiring. I don't even really understand the story, but somehow it resonates very deeply with me. It's an all-time favourite song of mine.

The rest of the album doesn't really appeal, but I guess that's the risk you take when you buy an album on the back of one song! Most of the time, it's just that the style doesn't appeal to me (ie "it's not you, it's me"...). But what the hell is going on with What Do I Know About Pain??? It sounds exactly like a typical Katy Perry song. In other words, awful.

To end on a positive note, Working With Wood nicely injects some variety into the album. It's dripping with emotion, and the bridge is a particular highlight. White Dove / Black Crow has a great chorus, but unfortunately soon runs out of ideas and becomes tired.

2021 update: Coming back to this album after a long hiatus, I'm really enjoying Some of the Places I Know, Working with Wood, Don't Forget Me When I Die, Run, White Dove / Black Crow, and yes, even What Do I Know About Pain (mostly thanks to the chorus). It is fairly generic pop-rock stuff, but maybe the nostalgia is kicking in these days. Also, the recording quality is great, in particular with a stadium-rock feel with huge scale.

Favourite songs

I Still Taste Blood, Baby I'm Getting Better, Some of the Places I Know, Don't Forget Me When I Die, Run, White Dove / Black Crow

I diggit?

It's a similar situation to The Refreshments: an album bought on the back of a single song that time has revealed to be a bit of an overlooked gem. Also, Baby I'm Getting Better is still single-handedly worth the price of admission alone.