Louis Cole’s Quality Over Opinion is a 20-track burst of drums, bass, keys, electronics and vocals, made largely by Cole himself in his Los Angeles home studio. The playing is exact but rarely polite. “I’m Tight” locks into a sharply built funk bassline, while “Let it Happen” reaches for big power-ballad drama. Elsewhere, clipped electronic parts, odd turns and Cole’s dry vocal delivery keep the songs from settling into easy pop shapes. His jazz background is present as freedom and rhythmic control rather than as a straight genre exercise, with funk, electronic pop and flashes of heavier intensity sharing the same room.
Released by Brainfeeder, the album comes from the loose Los Angeles scene around Cole and KNOWER collaborator Genevieve Artadi. Friends appear in useful doses, including saxophonist Sam Gendel, pianist Chris Fishman, Nate Wood, Marlon Mackey, Artadi and guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel. They add colour without taking the project away from Cole’s one-person focus. The 20 songs don’t form a single story, and that suits the record’s restless design. Fans of left-field pop, tightly played funk, electronic production and jazz musicianship will find plenty to pick through, though the length and constant changes may be a lot in one sitting.
