Rock/Review Coolonaut - Dark Energy

From Scotland but now living in rural Australia, Coolonaut creates analog psychedelic mod music for the era in which we live. Inspired by the greats of the past and fueled by the increasing absurdity of the world around us, Coolonaut calls it out.

Coolonaut's eerily foreboding sophomore album, “Dark Energy,” speaks to the anxiety and uncertainty that permeate the world. In sharp contrast to his first album, “Tales From the Black Stump,” which examined the remote isolation and serene beauty of the Australian outback, “Dark Energy” focuses on a larger, more eerie setting—one in which growing violence and fear are causing human compassion to crumble.

The fact that Coolonaut is both a musician and a doctor gives his songs a unique depth. Every song seems to diagnose our times emotionally and psychologically. The album develops like a slow-burning critique on humanity's shattered state, with everything from melancholic synths and ambient textures to sparse guitar lines. As though echoing the artist's judgment that evil is once again "on the march," the tracks pulse with tension, sometimes quiet, sometimes bursting.

The arrangements exhibit both clinical accuracy and a contemplative warmth, which are characteristics of someone who recognizes that music and health are both as much art as science. While some songs, like "Babes In Arms" and "Serotonin Man," have an almost journalistic precision, others challenge the listener to sit with discomfort and reflect on the world around them by slipping into poetic abstraction.

The point is that “Dark Energy” is fascinating to listen to. It is an audacious, reflective recording from an artist who observes mankind from the recording studio as well as the examination room. Additionally, Coolonaut provides a soundtrack of profound introspection rather than hopelessness in these shattered times.