Cousteau were a moderately successful band in the first decade of this century. The band made finely crafted neo-noir pop music for the jaded hipster. Their sound could be described as David Bowie fronting a pop jazz combo lead by Burt Bacharach in a speakeasy in the burned out shell of the Brill Building in the movie Escape from New York. The band had success with song The Last Good Day of the Year showing up on films and car commercials. By the end of the decade, the members drifted apart to pursue other ideas.
CousteauX are singer Liam McKahey and songwriter/instrumentalist/producer Davey Ray Moor, who were the creative heart of the band. The duo has added a silent X to the end of their name to distinguish this incarnation from the original. CousteauX are still making moody music that sounds like something Nick Cave would enjoy at a Soho cabaret. Liam pours his tortured heart out on tunes like “The Innermost Light” and “Memory is a Weapon”. “BURMA” is a haunted love song. It’s a romantic ghost story sung by an English soldier who died in the trenches of France. BURMA was something soldiers would write on letters to their wives and girl friends meaning Be Upstairs Ready, My Angel.
CousteauX close the album with a song that could be their thesis statement. “F**king in Joy and Sorrow”, talks about sex, love and the hopelessness of existence. There may be no tomorrow, but we have tonight.