CocknBullKid - Adulthood

Two heavily anticipated pop albums were released this Monday, both by female artists claiming some sort of guiding role in today’s pop world. Overlooking the fact that I am likely the only person in the world who would put this one on the same level as the Mother Monster herself, this review could at least show that is more than one possible guiding star in the heavenly firmament.

Two long years it’s been since I first discovered the musical stylings of London-based artist Anita Blay, aka CocknBullKid. Back then she went by the pen name of thecocknbullkid (that’s no apostrophes and all lower case). She released two singles (‘On My Own’ in 2008 and ‘I’m Not Sorry’ the next year) and one EP – Querelle. Self-proclaimed UK pop hope, Blay proved to be one of few artists that can actually walk the walk they talk about. Her songs didn’t only set, but raised the standards of what pop songs ought to sound like: poppy and light as a feather – carried wonderfully by Blay’s distinctive voice – but counterbalanced with the perfect amount of emotional baggage, smart lyrics and exciting musical arrangements to surpass the 12-minute lifespan of the average pop music contraption. After her debut EP she went off the radar again – to the extent that she had ever actually been on the radar –exploring a vast array of musical influences trying to establish a sound of her own and working on her debut album. And that nearly two-year long process has now resulted in Adulthood, already one of the top pop albums of the year.

So suffice to say she took her sweet time. And on that note, opening track Adulthood feels more like an intro stretched to the length off a full song than anything else. The next track – CocknBullKid – really sets the tone of Blay’s (slightly changed) style. And kids, you better hold on to your stockings, because this is going to be a rollercoaster of happy thought – or at least happy approach to bad thoughts. Adulthood has an almost therapeutic feel to it and in itself there is not much novelty value to that – fighting adversity is one of the open doors in the pop scene. Still, Blay manages to put something extra on the table in the way she executes that concept.  ‘Hold on to Your Misery’ is one of more incredibly upbeat tracks, and tackles bad feelings in such a childlike naïveté is can’t help but charm. ‘Hold on to what makes you cold; wear it like a badge of pride wherever you go’.   By now it should be clear that in its essence, Blay’s music centers around an overwhelming sensation of optimism.

Equally irresistible is Blay’s take on a love song – ‘One Eye Closed’ – in which she takes on the challenge of convincing her target of the predestination of their love. And she does it in undiluted Cocknbullkid-style: sweet, decisive and with a huge amount of optimism. ‘Every day is torture, but every day I come a little closer; you can run but I’ll run faster’. But just when you feel you’re about to overdose on all that sweet stuff, Blay manages to either strike an emotional chord or lace her songs with a side of humor or sarcasm. ‘Dumb’ for instance, which shows Blay contemplating over a failed love (‘I know it’s over, but still; I know, it’s dumb’) is simple, but it will crawl under your skin. On ‘I Deserve It’ Blay plays the role of a friend that screwed up, but doesn’t run away from her responsibility. It’s just that mature, approachable and joyful attitude that epitomizes CocknBullkid as an artist. And that even makes the silly bad-ass rant at the end of the song bearable. ‘Happy Birthday’ – quite possibly one of the funniest and saddest birthday songs – makes for a delightfully sardonic epilogue.

From time to time CocknBullKid could sound a little more ballsy (I had to have it!), and that is mostly because her earlier music suggested that her name was an actual statement, rather than just a name. At first glance, one could assert that Blay lost some of her edge, compared to her 2008-’09 releases. And there is definitely some validity to that assertion. It’s hard to look past the incredibly in your face, optimistic, streamlined-to-perfection nature of the album, a veritable pinnacle of poppiness.  So yes, it would appear as if CocknBullKid shifted slightly towards the center. And one could wonder why someone who lists M.I.A and Little Richard as musical influences would need two years to come up with the less-than-revolutionary final sound she did. Especially given that that sounds feels like a polished version of a more snappy original draft.

But on the other hand, it might be good to refrain for once from the kind of musical snobbery that applauds artists who turn their back on mainstream music as explicitly as M.I.A. (to name one) does, while condemning anyone who decides to go with a strategy opposite to that. There is, after all, nothing wrong with pop music, and there is no use regretting what could have been. And on the whole Adulthood sets itself apart from the crowd more than sufficiently to remain the shimmer of light in the ever more one-dimensional mainstream pop scene I hoped it would be. The album is about love, without falling in the pitfalls of corniness, it’s about facing life head-on, without sounding like a self-help pamphlet. It’s basically a 46-minute optimism-high that should at least form a tiny part in everybody’s path to adulthood. And in that CocknBullKid lives up to her claims of being one of the UK’s pop hopes.

Tracklist

1. Adulthood

2. CocknBullKid

3. Hold On To Your Misery

4. Yellow

5. One Eye Closed

6. Distractions

7. Bellyache

8. Mexico

9. Asthma Attack

10. Hoarder

11. Dumb

12. I Deserve It

13. Happy Birthday