reviews

"Catchy little pop ditties wherein lyrical humor plays a central role. The piano is a huge part of this New Jersey-based band's instrumentation, which reinforces the often-playful lyrics and light, bouncy tone of the songs."

- Linda Ryan, listen.com

USA

"Cuscus is a Jersey band consisting of the very talented songwriting team of Christopher Bruzzi and Neil Marek, with help on this CD from Mike Tichy and Kevin McDonald... What drives them is their love of music.

"The songs themselves are fun, catchy, jazzy rock-pop. Fans of Ben Folds Five need this CD in their collections, and I’ll even include fans of the Dave Matthews Band after listening to Slack Daddy, a jangling rock track with great harmonies.

"Cuscus isn’t trying to impress anybody. They’re just having fun, doing what they love to do. The songs are short - the recording of one flash of inspiration after another. As a result, they’ve created a CD that is a collection of great musical ideas. The leading of the bass guitar on Moonlight Bay. The playful piano on Bees on Wires and Crackletrust. And the sudden explosions of spirited, 60s- and 70s-style rock that remind me of something off the soundtrack of Jesus Christ Superstar. Simple and Raw Chachie Mama are good examples. On those particular tracks, the passion and power of the lead vocal takes care of the volume problem. This is incredible singing.

"I’m advising these guys to keep doing what they love. The recognition will follow..."

- Jennifer Layton, indie-music.com

Raleigh, NC, USA

"Cuscus is one of those bands that have a very diverse sound and style. A great mixture of styles gives a lot of room for the listener to breathe, and gives the album the potential to cross many genre styles. Cuscus is a rock band that has a lot of influences from indie rock to to mainstream pop/rock, but they still give me the impression that they enjoy being a garage band. This is music that you can tell it's all about one thing, the music. The enjoyment that these guys have making their music can be felt in every song. Their experimentation with many different rock sounds and styles makes that evident. Music doesn't have to be perfect to be good. This album shows that with a lot of charm and feeling. That's the way music should be. More art and less business, and Cuscus does it just right."

- Michael Allison, THEGLOBALMUSE.COM

Millersville, MO, USA

"It’s obvious that Cuscus is a many faceted band that doesn’t feel the need to lock themselves into one tight little niche.

"Simple is a raucous, college radio track full of tight guitar riffs and gut wrenching vocals just begging for a throat lozenge. The opening line pretty much sums up the tune: 'Why didn’t I just walk away/it would have been so simple.' This is a song for the pissed, and when you need to burn off a little steam, this is the tune to do it to.

"The Crutch takes a completely different turn. Like Ben Fold Five’s Brick, The Crutch talks of the girlfriend who leans on you until your break. There are some really nice chord changes and a strong melody here."

- 3 Wishes Records

Oakhurst, NJ, USA

"Cuscus are one of those just-off-the-center type bands who have managed to get those annoyingly catchy little melodies that make you want to hear more.

"We could quite easily go into NME territory and start waxing lyrical using bizarre descriptions like 'airy melodies that just shout green at you' but you probably wouldn't have a clue about what we were on about!

"Kicking off with a crazy tempo riff, Crackletrust is a great introduction to the Cuscus sound - although don't expect the rest of the songs to sound the same! The album tracks move from a Gillan sounding Moonlight Bay to a Soundgardenesque/Raging Slab sound of Raw Chachie Mama - which has a boogietastic riff! Sometimes You Gotta Go West to Get to 80 East...is the first song where you get to hear the full effects of the horn section, with a funky funky beat that had us boogying around for ages! Coffee Regular, a f*cking brilliant song... [And closing the album] what can only be described as a Barry White on acid experience of Where Are My Pants.

"To summarize (as they used to tell us to do in school) this album is fantastic and we thoroughly recommend that you get yourself a copy now. Even if you have never checked out the Cuscus website, we suggest you go there now...and expect your musical taste to change forever!

"Cuscus have moved up our list of favourite bands on Shoe Shine... It honestly hasn't stopped playing since we got it!"

- Pete Cockburn, Bulaka Music Magazine (previously Shoe Shine)

Scotland

Besides the press you can also check out the comments from our fans.