Customer Reviews
summer tunes - By: Mrs. Jacqueline A. Newman, 10 May 2008 
If you buy no other cd this summer other than this you won't be disapointed.
I listened to the cd, quite short, less than an hour, & was hooked, playing it repeatedly during that day.
The music has a 50's American feel & it will make you smile.
Love it - can't wait to play in a seriously decent sound system - By: Mr. E. Nzegwu, 15 Apr 2008 Koop is kool listening. Production values are really high hence my review title. The sort of music to get your toes tapping & your head bopping to tuneful jazzy melodies. Lovely stuff
Patchy but intriguing - By: Veronica Marwood, 25 Sep 2007 
I'll start with a disclaimer: aside from this record, which I found after Googling the lyrics of a track I heardin a shop, I know nothing about Koop. I don't know anything about the band or their music & have no idea what genre they belong to - 'Koop Islands' isn't the kind of thing I'd normally listen to. But what I can tell you is that this is a likeable, interesting little gem of an album, & well worth investigating no matter what your usual taste.
There are obvious jazz influences throughout; the album exudes a laid-back vibe, with lots of xylophones & chimes creating an almost tropical atmosphere. It's true that much of the record sounds like the kind of background music you'd expect to hearin a fashionable bar or restaurant, but scratch the slick surface & there's something more intriguing. 'Koop Islands Blues' has a dark, sinister undertone, made even more beguiling by the cool, detached vocals. 'Come to Me' & 'I See a Different You' repeat the formula with a warmer, more upbeat feel, to charming effect, while 'Forces... Darling' shows a little variation with its saxophone melodies & military drums.
The beautiful, haunting single 'Koop Islands Blues' is by far the best thing about this album. Some of the other tracks feel very much like filler, particularly the instrumentals & those with male vocals - a cool female voice somehow suits the relaxed, smooth music far better. That said, I'm glad I came across 'Koop Islands', & if this style of music is off the beaten track for you - as it was for me - I'd say it's worth giving this album a try.
Almost brilliant - By: M. S. Woodley, 14 Jul 2007 
I heard the single on Terry Wogan's radio show & thought that's up my street! I bought it & apart from the awful Beyond the Son was not disappointed. This is like a big band samba record but using samples instead of the real instruments (although there are a couple of real instruments to throw you off). The opener is one of the most gorgeous records ever made. A shame then that Ane Brun's voice appears nowhere else on the record. Yukimi Nagano's voice is nice - like the girl from Swing Out Sister - but not the same. The bonus track seems to come from a completely different album. Beyond the Son needs a rather better actor to make it work but Earl Zinger's voice is monotonous & the track grinds on forever, while all the others are too short. This is a lovely album that makes we want to check out their others & it has a refreshingly short running time, which is rare nowadays. Check it out, you may love it.
oh my word! - By: G. Haisell-okunniwa, 29 Mar 2007 What a top album. One of the best i've heard for a while- well since i returned from caister.Im too was given the bite of the apple with the comfort advert, searched on the web & bingo! I am now the proud owner of some top tunes- why hadn't I heard of them sooner? can't wait to hear the other albums out.Will definately be spreading the word of Koop!
