Lyrically lighthearted jazz fusion

With his third album Time, multi-instrumentalist Louis Cole offers up 14 jazz-infused pop tracks. Best known for his silly musical YouTube videos, the USC music school alumnus is also half of the band Knower (with Genevieve Artadi).  Time begins energetically with “Weird Part of The Night,” an eight-bit ode to the wee hours of the morning. At first, it plays a bit trite, such as the too-obvious choice to rhyme “night” with “alright.” However, Cole wears it well by leaning heavily into the irony. Similarly, “When You’re Ugly” is a funky anthem for the unattractive, rallying those society deems plain to find their strength in their ability to tell the world to fuck off. 

Cole slows it down for “Everytime,” a simple piano ballad, and takes a break from the in your face sarcasm. The following “Phone” is an R&B jam where Cole opens himself up to a bit of vulnerability in admitting his feelings for someone. However, true to his style, he doesn’t completely abandon the goofball act, working in a lyric about learning the names of a lover’s stuffed animals. “Real Life” proves why Cole has been embraced by the likes of Thundercat and Flying Lotus; the track is completely irreverent and wild, mashing together jazz, funk and pop into a frenetic tune and notably features an epic piano solo by Brian Mehldau.

Thundercat takes over the vocal lead for “Tunnels in The Air,” but his stylings are so similar to Cole’s it’s almost easy to overlook. “Last Time You Went Away” focuses on a string ensemble for a melancholy tune fit for theater. The later “After The Load is Blown” has Cole at his ironic peak, a musically beautiful ode to the fleeting feelings of a lust fulfilled. “Trying Not To Die” is a piano and drum driven jazz bop with a gloriously repetitive hook. The penultimate “Things” is a lyrical truth bomb, exploring the wisdom that “things may not work out how you thought”–not necessarily for better or worse, that’s just how life is. Time closes with the dreamy “Night” which builds hypnotically until the song, and album, dissolve out to silence. 

Cole’s unique style may not be for everyone, and his lyrics are not to be taken too seriously but Time proves to be a solid album that repeatedly proves Cole’s excellent musicianship. The playful tone allows Cole to explore the boundaries of pop music, and he doesn’t shy away from opportunities to flex his musical ability.