Cosmonaut

Cosmonaut is one of those bands that almost seem too good to be true. When I first listened to them, the first thing I thought was... ok, which one of these guys was in a supergroup and is now starting over fresh? Turns out, these guys are all starting fresh. Just out of school, the quartet sounds like they've been at this for years, displaying a maturity in their songwriting far beyond their lean years. Sounding something like Pavement's slack tied together with Cymbals Eat Guitars' epic emotionalism, Cosmonaut has 'hype' written all over them. Just listen to 'Hurry Up' EP opener 'Your Knife (My Side)' and hear what could be the envy of Julian Casablancas, coming through singer John Paul Manley's tenor. Produced by Kyle “Slick” Johnson (Wavves, Modest Mouse), the band's debut album is everything you want to hear from a young band in line with age old expectations of how classic rock songs is supposed to sound. Their next show is on Friday October 19th at Legion Bar, with Fast Years, The N'ere Dowells, & others. - Mike Levine - The Deli

Cosmonaut play catchy post-Strokes guitar pop, and do it well. Their EP from 2012 is packed with stick-in-your-head songs. - Brooklyn Vegan

Shoegazers Jack and Dan of “Cosmonaut” talk with Phantom Power about the 90s influence, CMJ, and… drugs. Also featuring some live footage from their CMJ showcase at Kenny’s Castaway on Bleecker Street. Check out their blog and myspace

- yeah….Develop

As NBC New York has been reporting, storied songwriter Jackson Browne, alt-rock survivors Third Eye Blind and LA folk-rockers Dawes plays Zuccotti Park on Thursday. This will be the first time high-profile musicians have played for Occupy Wall Street protesters since the park was raided two weeks ago. Jackson Browne and Third Eye Blind will also appear on Occupy This Album, a benefit album compilation organized by Music for Occupy.

A final tracklisting is not available yet, but Crosby and Nash, Jackson Browne, Warren Haynes, Aeroplane Pageant, DJ Logic, Yo La Tengo, Lloyd Cole, Devo, Stephan Said, Lucinda Williams, Toots and the Maytals, Tao Rodriguez Seeger, Third Eye Blind, My Pet Dragon, Alex Emanuel, Joel Rafael, Ladytron, Chroma, Cosmonaut, Jennie Arnau, Dylan Chambers, Global Block, Mystic Bowie, Harry Hayward, Mike + Ruthy, Jay Samel, Matt Pless, Mike Rimbaud are listed as appearing.

Music for Occupy will donate all proceeds from the album to, as its website says, "directly towards the needs of sustaining this growing movement."

As always, you can read NBC New York's continuing coverage of the Occupy movement here
- Michael Tedder /NBC

At the end of CMJ’s first night, the GigMaven showcase having concluded, I made my way to Kenny’s Castaways to see a show from Cosmonaut, a band I am very familiar with. Being introduced by a tiny crazed man in a suit holding a cigar was entertaining but could not be less Cosmonaut- they take their music very seriously, and they have a right to. Their sound has gone through quite the evolution in the past year, having changed their line-up. The best thing about their new songs is that they’ve let new sounds and influences into their music. The music feels anything but loose, but the arrangements feel freer and more breathable. Lively guitar work combined with intricate composition makes their music memorable and melodic, as showed in their set. Cosmonaut’s music is melancholy and sometimes dark in essence, and drones in a way that makes it emotional. At their best they instill a sense of contemplative security in their listeners, who definitely returned the love last night.
- mavenly a blog for maveners

"New York City's Cosmonaut music sits pretty somewhere halfway in between Kevin Shields and Stephen Malkmus. It's guitar-driven indie rock which drones but is not drone. Their songs are quiet and reverby, but don't get overly shoegazey to the point where you can't make out their gorgeous vocal melodies and guitar parts. Also, every song (that I've listened to) features a very nice and distinct bassline which seems to be insisting something about the nature of beauty."

http://auralwes.blogspot.com/search?q=cosmonaut - AurualWes

If there is one NYC band that I will venture out to see over and over again it is Cosmonaut. I first saw them a few months ago when I went to see a friends band play. They were supporting Cosmonaut at Pianos during their April residency. Somehow I had heard of them before but I had never actually heard anything by them. I hate to say it but I am always skeptical when I go to those smaller shows. This is NYC, there are a lot of great bands and a lot of terrible ones. But Cosmonaut won me over instantly. Since that night I have become a big fan, making them quickly one of my favorite local bands. Now I almost never miss one of their shows and they play a lot. I was very excited when I heard they would be headlining a late show at Mercury Lounge. Finally, I had the chance to visit the iconic venue while seeing a great band.

The night started off slow. I was one of the first to arrive. I knew I was early but l was really surprised by how empty the place was. I asked the bartender if this was normal for a Wednesday night. Her response, “I think everyone is coming later for Cosmonaut”. She was right. When Cosmonaut took the stage I looked around and noticed the place was suddenly full. I even saw some familiar faces indicating that the band has a consistent following.

Cosmonaut, which is Jack Manley on guitar and vocals, Daniel Quinn on guitar, Brendan Picone on bass and Tom McIntyre on drums, played a solid set. They have an indie rock sound with infectious melodies that evoke bands such as Weezer and The Strokes. You can’t help but want to dance along to their music. They have been working on new material to follow up their debut Hurry Up EP and played a few of these new songs during their set. I smiled when they played my favorite song, Subterranean Mercenary, which can be found on their Radio Silence 7″. This catchy song gets stuck in my head for days after every show but I am happy to have it stuck there.

Cosmonaut is a solid, hard working band who always has a show coming up. In addition to their music being impressive they are also clearly dedicated to their art. I find that admirable. So keep an eye out for them. I can not wait to see how far they go. - Pancakes and Whiskey