With its intriguing mix of country and melancholy psychedelia, Cotton Jones' Paranoid Cocoon is one of the most soulful debuts to surface in recent months. Frontman Mike Nau (of Page France) started the band as a side project with bandmate Whitney McGraw, but it soon became his main focus. After a few EPs, extensive touring and a name change, Cotton Jones' first full-length studio disc is finally out.
On Paranoid Cocoon, Nau and McGraw create a mature, oddly woodsy feel, with strikingly evocative and despondent lyrics. Nau's baritone — which recalls that of Lee Hazlewood — sings of forgotten happiness and missed chances, evoking charming sadness throughout the record. Here, the band performs a session with World Cafe host David Dye.
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