Louis Cole's Time is a strange, highly likeable collision of quick keyboard hooks, electronic funk, dry humour and tender songs. Cole's drums are central, but the writing often leans on piano and MIDI textures, giving the tracks a homemade snap rather than a polished studio sheen. “Weird Part Of The Night” and “Freaky Times” move fast and hit hard, while “Last Time You Went Away” opens out into a 23-piece string arrangement. The pacing keeps shifting, from twitchy groove music to songs that let the air out of the room.
Released by Brainfeeder in 2018, the album comes from Cole's Los Angeles DIY world, built around his solo work and his band Knower. The guest list says a lot about the scene around him, with Thundercat singing on “Tunnels In The Air”, Brad Mehldau playing on “Real Life”, Genevieve Artadi appearing on “When You're Ugly”, and Dennis Hamm on “Trying Not To Die”. Cole's jazz background shows up less as a genre rule than as a taste for freedom and sudden turns. Anyone drawn to off-kilter pop, musicianship with a sense of humour, or funk that can suddenly turn vulnerable should find plenty here, though the abrupt shifts won't suit every mood.
