Laugh About Life - Pipe-Eye (Album Review)

Laugh About Life follows Pipe-eye’s 2015 EP release of Cosmic Blip. The EP and corresponding music videos had commercial success but it was missing one thing: more songs. Laugh About Life gives us everything we have been waiting for from Pipe-eye (Cook Craig). Although not quite as space-y as before, Laugh About Life does not disappoint and gives listeners a better idea of Craig’s capabilities as a solo artist.

The album can be simply described as “Australian” with surfer, lo-fi, progressive, and psychedelic rock elements. The production of the record focuses mainly on high end and rarely dips into the lower register. Even the bass guitar is missing much of the low end, demonstrating the pick heavy sound that Phil Lesh and Paul McCartney made famous. The cover gives the vibe of a 60’s jazz record due to the black background, square image cut, and track listing.

The album is put into several acts much like a theatrical production or classical movements. The 5 acts are each grouped into three similarly themed tracks except for Act V which finalizes the album. Acts I-III start off with a light, bouncy, and synth heavy instrumental. This leads the listener into an upbeat tune, followed by a slower and more standard rock song. While Act IV has two very similar sounding tracks and Act V is a stand-alone instrumental.

Laugh About Life released on April 21st, 2017 with Flightless Records, but every copy of the LP sold out a month before releasing. This may have something to do with the fact that Craig is one of three guitarists from the psychedelic rock group King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard. Craig is an original member of the band and has been a part of the writing, performing, and producing aspects every step of the way. Their popularity has recently skyrocketed since their announcement to release five full albums in 2017.

An incredible clay-mation music video for “Sweets & Treats” was made by Alex McLaren and Sean McAnulty and released on March 20th, 2017 with Flightless. Again, capturing the feeling of the 60’s with the animation and psychedelic components. The video is perceived more as a short film rather than a music video. With the album finally out, fans anxiously await the possibility of any other potential music videos by Pipe-eye.

For now, the consensus is that most fans are satisfied with the release and are spinning the record daily. If you enjoy independent music, definitely check out Pipe-eye’s 13-track debut album, Laugh About Life. Here’s to hoping that Flightless decides to print more LPs!

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Listen to the entire album here: https://pipe-eye.bandcamp.com/album/laugh-about-life

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