Utrillo Kushner is best known as the drummer for the neo-psychedelic rock band Comets On Fire, but he also heads up a different musical project: Colossal Yes. The band, based out of Oakland, Calif., features Kushner trading in the drums for the piano. It might seem like an odd move, but the transition is smooth for Kushner, who says he's played piano for roughly a decade now.
On its second LP, Charlemagne's Big Thaw, Colossal Yes continues its retro-tinged, indie pop trajectory, carefully honing its tracks to fit into a more conventional three or four minute time frame, a change from the band's first LP, Acapulco Roughs. Though Colossal Yes has less of a psychedelic slant than Comets On Fire, it, too is rooted in the past, hearkening back to the days when a catchy piano melody took center stage instead of being overshadowed by guitar solos or ambient droning.
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