Goner records has a certain sound to everything on their label. Part Ramones, part garage band record it lo-fi and or subtract piano and organs as you see fit. There is something absolutely great about the simplicity and childlike love of classic 60's garage rock that is contained in each release. So I can't be faulted for having some vague assumptions going into one Goner records forgotten releases of the last year. That is not to say this deserves to be forgotten whatsoever it just seems like this got forgotten under the rubble left by more vaunted releases by the label (Eddy Current and Ty Segal).
Cococoma are similar to a cousin. That is to say really cute fun to play with but, thankfully is gone before it overstays it's welcome. Everything on this record is built to impact the listener in a fuzzy slightly punkish cuteness. That means everything is short sweet and sung with a nice voice, outside of every once in awhile hearing a count in to the song. All of these things make the most of a very short running time. Noted this kinda of music isn't made better with broad structures or long song lengths. Everything is the perfect length not staying too long to unnerve the listener.
The flip side of the coin is the production feels flat for this style. Even if it is lo-fi (i'm not sure) things feel out of place in the mix regardless. The drums are loud almost surpassing the guitars which makes the listen feel monotonous at times. The organs which are a wonderful part of the bands sound and song structure, overpower everything else each time they enter the mix. Sadly, above all else the vocals tend to sink into the mix at times as well. With this style of music The vocals should be up top to maximize sing-alongs and the general pop quality of the proceedings.
The nice things about this is the artwork. Nothing overly fancy to be found. Just pleasant pastel covered scenery. It matches the mood of the music in a nice way. unfortunately there's just enough information given to know who recorded it, where and who they felt like thanking. Given the issues with the mixing I had expressed previously it is unfortunate there aren't any lyrics. While it isn't necessary with most bands like this it would've been a nice addition.
