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- Genre: Electronic & Dance » Electronica
Editor's review
Maybe it's a good thing Joseph Costa's former band, L’Altra, didn't work out, because then there might not be Costa Music--an ebb-and-flow of Radiohead-lite composition that breathes new life into the shoegaze genre. But unlike most music in that realm, Costa's music even seems to smile whimsically upon its listener from time to time--and it's the buildups that really make his sound pop.
Biography
After the uncertainty and eventual dissolution (maybe) of his former band, L’Altra, Joseph Costa picks up the pieces as Costa Music with the release of his first solo album, Lighter Subjects.
Lighter Subjects is a seamless fusion of electronic, folk and chamber elements. While the album is rich with multi-layered acoustics and complex electronic arrangements, its subject matter remains explicitly clear: life, love, loss and letting go. But just as these seemingly simple concepts are often the most misunderstood, Costa’s album contradicts the levity of its title. Lighter Subjects is a melodic blend of deeply personal lyrics and intricately woven instrumentals. The hypnotic soundscapes, weaving melodies and tangled beats are the house within which Costa sings of snow, sinking ships, broken furniture and broken hearts.
Costa enlisted the writing partnership and production skills of Marc Hellner (Pulseprogramming), the mixing chops of Joshua Eustis (Telefon Tel Aviv) and an array of other collaborators including avant cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm (Terminal 4, Flying Luttenbachers), Kevin Duneman (The Race), and up-and-coming vocalist Aleksandra Tomaszweska (Aleks and the Drummer).
Previously, Costa has released albums with L'Altra for Aesthetics Records and Hefty Records, and has performed throughout Europe, North and South America and Japan. His work also includes a prior Hellner collaboration, in which the two composed the score of the feature film, PLAY, which claimed Best Picture honors at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2005.
Costa Music’s much-anticipated debut album follows its introduction to audiences -- coupled with a month-long tour -- in Japan last (MONTH). Lighter Subjects is being released by Stilll Records in North America and Europe, and by Is Collage Collective in Japan.
