Album Review: Cosmo Jarvis - Think Bigger

On his third album, Think Bigger, Cosmo Jarvis has cemented his position as a gifted storyteller, with a talent and maturity well beyond his 22 years. Through the11 tracks on the album Jarvis effortlessly weaves a narrative for the listener, linking together the diverse topics explored in the songs with his expressive, smooth vocals. Just like Willy Wonka's wondrous boat ride, Jarvis sways from playful, innocent tracks like Lacie, a banjo-driven love song to his computer's external hard drive, to more sombre subject matter like the catchy Train Downtown, which explores the problems of a dystopian future, similar to Orwell's 1984 (“Microphones in every room/across the land they're strewn”). Even his cover of Grateful Dead's Friend Of The Devil seems to fit naturally into the myriad stories Jarvis has woven in Think Bigger, and has been so entrenched in Jarvis' style that it thankfully doesn't stick out like a sore thumb from the rest of the album.

Considering the spectrum of stories present in Think Bigger, Jarvis' graceful juxtaposition between tracks and the general cohesiveness of the album is ever the more impressive. His decision to concentrate on the singer-songwriting format instead of juggling too many music styles does the album great justice, both in terms of Jarvis' lyrics and the sound of the album. With catchy, strum-driven tracks like Love This, a great starting track to an album that from the get-go hones in on Jarvis' flawless voice, it is an album that could easily be enjoyed on face value. What makes it special though is how intricate and colourful it is should you choose to delve deeper.