Antique stores shake the very soul of my existence and unleash that part of me I keep hidden away—the part of me that gets really hot when I see a painting of a cubby girl playing with ribbons or the silhouette of a cookie jar in the shape of a nickel for $25. Normally ugly, the confusion of all the surrounding madness of odd and old garbage gives everything uncharacteristic charm, and I walk home $50 poorer and carrying a bobble-head dog colored purple with crayons.

CocoRosie’s new album, The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn, is a little like walking into an antique store for me. There’s a little opera, some hip-hop, a feeling of psych folk, a splash of reggae, and episodes of poetic banter and baby talk; it’s all a little confusing, yet kind of charming.

A two-sister show, CocoRosie (Sierra/Rosie and Bianca/Coco Casady) formed in 2003. The history of their musical adventure reads like a well-scripted Broadway musical. Rosie was studying opera at a conservatory in Paris, when Coco, living in Brooklyn, came to visit Rosie. There they started writing music in her bathroom. And the twist: the lovely duo hadn’t seen each other for 10 years before 2003 and are now inseparable. Stylistically, they have been associated with the New Weird America movement and their hop hip influences are linked to the Williamsburg, N.Y., scene.

The group’s first album, La Masion de mon reve (2004), showed real promise, which aptly roped me into acquiring every album that has followed since. At times, their sound is refreshing, at others, annoying. Their latest album proves to repeat this effect. Each song takes on many styles from opera to psych folk to hip-hop, and individually inspires appreciation or annoyance. Although I desperately want to buy into CocoRosie’s fanciful sounds of circus-like melodies and operetta quirkiness (I love that shit), there were real moments of boredom for me while I listened to this album. It just couldn’t hold my attention for long. Although enjoying it for a couple of days, by week’s end, I have moved on and nearly forgot I had the album in the first place.

Lyrically, I opine that CocoRosie has room for improvement. Yet a few of their songs have really catchy melodies and easy lyrics to sing along to, especially when heavily lubricated, such as their latest single, “Rainbowarriors,” which is also the most radio-friendly song the duo has ever assembled. And the reggae-feeling “Japan” has a kind of melody that makes me want to do my hopping saddle dance (a move that says it all). There’s a mix of musical sentiments too. Coco’s use of manipulating toy sounds and percussions are reminiscent of an earlier time, but then you’re met with the scary baby back-up vocals on “Black Poppies” that creeped me out, more reminiscent of my recent nightmares.

The album cover for The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn has this childlike playfulness but with a touch of horror too, fashioned by Pierre et Gilles — a gay French couple known for stylistically photographing gay and popular culture from sets and costumes they build and create. They have photographed the likes of Madonna, Nina Hagen, and Dee-Lite, and now, CocoRosie.

All in all, the album has its charm and its dreadfulness, like a cute cubby porcelain doll with a bad outfit and too much fake make-up. Not the prettiest thing, but you kind of like it and then you soon forget you had it.

CocoRosie Official Site
Touch & Go Records