Cos -

Cos was a Belgian avant-jazz-rock band that released four albums on IBC between 1974 and 1979, followed by two 1983–84 titles on Lark. Keyboardist Charles Loos (Abraxis/Julverne) appears on the first and third albums, Postaeolian Train Robbery and Babel. Former Placebo keyboardist Marc Moulin produced their 1976 release Viva Boma, which features sundry instrumentation from Aksak Maboul mastermind Marc Hollander.

Members: Pascale Son (vocals, oboe), Daniel Schell (guitar, flute, sound effects), Charles Loos (keyboards, piano), Marc Hollander (keyboards, bass clarinet, alto saxophone, devices), Alain Goutier (bass), Philippe Allaert (drums), Mutsari (bass)

Background

Cos formed as Classroom, assembled by musician/composer Daniel Schell (b. Schellekens, 1944) and his vocalist wife Pascale “Son” (née De Trazegnies, b. 1948). Schell played on a 1969 jazz single by the Brussels Art Quintet, issued on the acronymic self-press BAQ.

In 1973, Classroom included ex-Waterloo bassist Jean-Paul Musette, veteran jazz drummer Robert Pernet (1940–2001), and BAQ vibraphonist Jean-Pierre Destrée. With producer Jean Huysmans (Placebo, Doctor Downtrip), they recorded three Schell originals: “Sur Deux,” “L’Admirable Amas Cellulaire Orangé,” and the 10-minute “Achille.” On a fourth song, “La Partie D’Echecs,” Schell employed drummer Jean-Luc Van Lommel and pianist Charles Loos.

In 1974, Classroom reconfigured as Cos with Schell, Son, Loos, bassist Alain Goutier, drummer Robert Dartsch, and percussionist Steve Leduc. That August, they entered Start Studio in Brussels to record their first album.

Postaeolian Train Robbery

Cos released their debut album, Postaeolian Train Robbery, in 1974 on IBC.

The album introduces the Belgian group’s hybrid of jazz-rock, avant-prog, and Canterbury-inspired fusion, driven by intricate ensemble interplay and wordless female vocals that serve as an equal instrument. Combining rhythmic precision with surreal tonal color, Postaeolian Train Robbery bridges the spatial minimalism of Zeuhl with the kinetic improvisation of Soft Machine and the melodic elasticity of early Zao.

The sextet consists of guitarist–flutist Daniel Schell, vocalist–oboist Pascale Son, keyboardist Charles Loos (piano, electric piano), bassist Alain Goutier, drummer Robert Dartsch, and percussionist Steve Leduc. Schell composed all six pieces on the album.

The material ranges from brisk ensemble statements to longer, sectional compositions. The opening title track begins with pianist Loos and drummer Dartsch under an introduction by Adrian Stoop, followed by flute and piano figures that establish the band’s rhythmic intensity. “Cocalnut” opens in near silence before Son’s vocal acrobatics and bright keyboard runs enter against a crisp rhythmic pulse, alternating between rapid scat phrasing and avant-jazz turns.

“Amafam” centers on layered percussion, piano, and bass interplay, with shifting rhythmic cells that build to an ensemble peak. “Populi” presents one of the album’s most structured pieces, featuring alternating sung phrases and instrumental motifs led by clavinet and flute. “Halucal” compresses Zeuhl tension into a compact instrumental built around arpeggiated flute and electric piano. The closing “Coloc” unfolds over nearly ten minutes, starting with quiet piano and cymbal textures before expanding into a series of sharp ensemble breaks, vocal improvisations, and angular guitar statements that summarize the album’s stylistic reach.

A1. “Postaeolian Train Robbery” (4:13)
A2. “Cocalnut” (7:20)
A3. “Amafam” (8:24)

B1. “Populi” (3:30)
B2. “Halucal” (3:50)
B3. “Coloc” (9:47)

Sessions occurred in August 1974 at Start Studio in Brussels with producer Patrick Stroobants and engineer Michel Barez.

Postaeolian Train Robbery features artwork and layout by Alain Robert with photography by Benoît Hennebert. The image depicts a stylized color abstraction suggestive of motion, matching the album’s title concept of a “train robbery” beyond the aeolian (wind) scale.

Musea reissued the album in 1990 without “Karbok” (a funk-based track from the original LP) and added four earlier recordings by Classroom, Schell’s pre-Cos ensemble, recorded at Studio Madeleine in 1973. These tracks—“La Partie d’Échecs,” “Sur Deux,” “Achille,” and “L’Admirable Amas Cellulaire Orangé”—show the group’s evolution from jazz-based vocal experiments to the intricate progressive structures realized on Postaeolian Train Robbery.

Viva Boma

Cos released their second album, Viva Boma, in November 1976 on IBC.

The album refines their hybrid of Canterbury-inspired jazz-rock and avant-prog with heightened rhythmic intricacy, layered electric textures, and a tighter ensemble sound. It marks the arrival of keyboardist–reedist Marc Hollander (replacing Charles Loos) and drummer Guy Lonneux (ex-Recreation), with production by Placebo founder Marc Moulin, who also contributes additional keyboards.

Guitarist–flutist Daniel Schell composed all eight tracks, four of them in collaboration with Hollander (“Perhaps Next Record,” “In Lulu,” “L’Idiot Léon,” and “Viva Boma”). Schell’s wife, vocalist–oboist Pascale Son, fronts the group with wordless vocal phrasings that function as a lead instrument. Bassist Alain Goutier completes the core quintet, joined on select tracks by percussionists Jean-Louis Haesevoets, Pipou, and Bob Dartsch, cellist Denis Van Hecke, and producer–keyboardist Moulin on Mini-Moog.

The music ranges from atmospheric miniatures to expansive multi-part pieces. The brief opener, “Perhaps Next Record,” is a tongue-in-cheek electronic prelude of layered Mini-Moog tones. The title track follows with a percussive framework of overlapping ethnic rhythms and vocal refrains that anticipate the group’s rhythmic experimentation. “Nog Verder” unfolds as a slow jazz-fusion piece built on Fender Rhodes and vocal interludes, gaining pace midway through with angular rhythmic shifts.

“Boehme,” dedicated to Schell’s harmony teacher and inspired by the philosopher Jakob Böhme, juxtaposes fuzz organ, syncopated rhythm, and harmonic modulations that merge Canterbury lyricism with Zeuhl undercurrents. “Flamboya” contrasts soft vocal lines and Rhodes passages with surges of distorted bass and organ intensity. “In Lulu” opens with modal vocal ornaments before shifting into a fluid slow-tempo fusion with intricate percussion. “L’Idiot Léon,” the album’s centerpiece, combines shifting time signatures and melodic development in an extended suite of alternating calm and charged passages, featuring oboe, bass clarinet, and fuzz keyboard. The closing “Ixelles,” titled after a Brussels district, pairs Son’s wistful vocals with cello and acoustic guitar, alternating between serene and tense sections.

A1. “Perhaps Next Record” (1:25)
A2. “Viva Boma” (2:35)
A3. “Nog Verder” (4:32)
A4. “Boehme” (3:17)
A5. “Flamboya” (7:33)

B1. “In Lulu” (4:08)
B2. “L’Idiot Léon” (10:48)
B3. “Ixelles” (5:02)

Sessions occurred in July 1976 at Cathy’s 24-track Studio in Brussels with producers Cos and Marc Moulin and engineer Pierre Dupriez.

Viva Boma features cover illustration by bassist Alain Goutier and design by Alain Robert. The sleeve depicts three basking hippos against a bright orange backdrop, a visual joke that plays on the album’s whimsical title and the band’s sense of humor.

Musea reissued Viva Boma on CD with four bonus tracks from the original sessions and subsequent demos (“Mon Rebis,” “Reine de la Vallée,” “Nog Verder” [demo version], and “Fanfan la Tulipe”), mastered by Daniel Schell and Patrick Hubart.

Babel

Cos released their third album, Babel, in 1978 on IBC.

The album expands the group’s fusion of Canterbury-inspired jazz-rock and avant-prog through layered keyboards, brisk rhythmic interplay, and multilingual vocal phrasing by Pascale Son. With its blend of jazz, funk, and cabaret elements, Babel marks the culmination of Cos’s exploratory 1970s phase and their most stylistically diverse statement.

Guitarist–flutist Daniel Schell wrote all seven pieces and produced the sessions with engineer Patrick Cogneaux. The core lineup features Schell, vocalist Pascale Son, bassist Alain Goutier, keyboardist Charles Loos (piano, organ), flutist Dirk Bogaert, and drummer Philippe Allaert, augmented by guest keyboardists François “Faton” Cahen (piano), Marc Moulin (organ), and Marc Hollander (organ, saxophone).

The music divides between concise rhythm studies and extended ensemble works. “Babel” opens with wordless vocal calls and layered instrumental textures over a propulsive beat, setting a playful tone that frames the album’s rhythmic complexity. “Good Wind” builds from soft guitar and flute interplay into flowing piano-led passages. “Cha Cha Cha” playfully reinterprets the Latin dance form, shifting between alternating tempos and scattered vocal improvisations. “Mein Maschine ist Schön,” sung in German, evolves through staged contrasts of cabaret, jazz, and minimal rhythm sections, culminating in a slow-building organ and saxophone sequence.

On side two, “Sors ton Pétard, Johnny” pairs Son’s scat phrasing with asymmetrical rhythmic accents and piano surges. “Oostend, Oostend” serves as an ambient interlude, its gentle organ and wave effects reflecting the Belgian seaside. “Greeneldo,” a 13-minute closer, unites the band’s strengths in extended jazz-prog structure—combining disco-paced rhythm, shifting keyboard motifs, ensemble breaks, and choral refrains into a climactic finale.

A1. “Babel” (4:22)
A2. “Good Wind” (3:16)
A3. “Cha Cha Cha” (4:00)
A4. “Mein Maschine ist Schön” (8:34)

B1. “Sors ton Pétard, Johnny” (4:30)
B2. “Oostend, Oostend” (2:55)
B3. “Greeneldo” (13:12)

Sessions occurred in July and August 1978 at Shiva Studio in Brussels with production by Daniel Schell for IBC and Freebird (D. Buscail), mixed by Dominique Blanc-Francard at Studio Aquarium in Paris.

Babel features cover photography by M. Léonard, showing the group posed on the Ostend beachfront along the North Sea, reflecting the album’s cosmopolitan title and maritime tone.

Swiß Chalet

Cos released their fourth album, Swiß Chalet, in 1979 on IBC.

The album shifts sharply from the Canterbury-jazz fusion of Babel toward a hybrid of reggae, cabaret, new wave, and electronic textures. The group had contracted to a quartet, with Pascale Son on vocals, Daniel Schell on guitar and writing duties, Charles Loos on keyboards, and Philippe Allaert on drums, while bass duties alternate between Mutsari (A-side) and Alain Goutier (B-side).

Schell wrote the majority of the album’s tracks, while Son provides multilingual singing that replaces the wordless scatting of previous releases.

The music alternates between pop-reggae forms and avant-pop experiments. The brief opener “Clic” acts as an intro. “Gigolo” extends over six minutes with English, French, and German lyrics, blending reggae rhythms with progressive embellishments. “Kibaki” continues in reggae style but is more restrained. “Achtung! TV-Watchers” draws on art-pop influences, recalling early Talking Heads and post-70s Crimson, while “Love Robots” maintains a semi-reggae, electronically tinged sensibility.

Side two opens with “Wagon,” where Goutier’s fretless bass anchors the reggae pulse, followed by “L’Air de Dolly,” featuring operatic vocal lines. “L’Air de Rien” merges semi-reggae phrasing with whimsical French lyrics, and “L’Air de Bela” and “Chasseur” sustain the album’s pop-reggae trajectory. The instrumental “Liebe” closes the set with darker, more complex structures that echo Univers Zero-style chanting.

A1. “Clic” (0:23)
A2. “Gigolo” (6:02)
A3. “Kibaki” (3:00)
A4. “Achtung! TV-Watchers” (4:00)
A5. “Love Robots” (3:16)

B1. “Wagon” (3:57)
B2. “L’Air de Dolly” (2:17)
B3. “L’Air de Rien” (3:46)
B4. “L’Air de Bela” (2:15)
B5. “Liebe” (2:03)
B6. “Chasseur” (3:52)

Sessions occurred at Shiva Studio in Brussels with production by Cos and Jacques Albin, recorded by Christian Ramon and engineered by Alain Pierre.

Swiß Chalet presents cover art and inner sleeve visuals with a modern, clinical 1980s aesthetic, reflecting the album’s stylistic departure from earlier Canterbury fusion into post-punk, new wave, and reggae-inflected pop.

Pasiones

Cos released their fifth album, Pasiones, in 1983 on Lark.

The album presents a theatrical, multi-lingual pop-opera set against a backdrop of 1980s new wave, avant-pop, and Zolo-infused rhythms. The ensemble features Daniel Schell on Chapman Stick and vocals, Philippe Allaert on drums, trumpet, and chorus, Nicolas Fiszman on bass and chorus, Ilona Chale de Barcelona on vocals, and Schell plus Cos on keyboards.

Schell composed the majority of the material, with Allaert and Fiszman contributing arrangements on select tracks.

Musically, the album alternates between experimental pop, theatrical cabaret, and occasional reggae or African-inflected sections. The short opening pieces “Amigos” and “En Su Arena” set a fragmented, operatic tone. “3 Femmes dans Ma Tête” and “Viva la Musica” introduce angular new wave phrasing and quirky rhythms. “Adios Belleza” blends Greek motifs, martial accents, and falsetto vocals, while “Paralytic Lovers” channels dark psychedelic cabaret with Zeuhl-like contours. The title track, “Pasiones,” unfolds as an extended, multi-lingual narrative depicting Republican soldiers on leave during the Spanish Civil War. Light Zeuhl inflections, frippian guitar textures, and theatrical vocal interplay recur across the set, punctuated by brief interludes such as “Hali Halo” and “Rumba y Cañones.”

A1. “Amigos” (1:53)
A2. “En Su Arena” (1:56)
A3. “3 Femmes Dans Ma Tête” (3:00)
A4. “Viva La Musica” (2:01)
A5. “Einstein J’T’Aime” (3:49)
A6. “Frau Y Mann” (3:24)
A7. “Adios Belleza” (2:24)

B1. “Zuviel Männer” (3:25)
B2. “Pasiones” (7:14)
B3. “Rentre Ton Pétard, Ramon”
B4. “Hali Halo” (3:00)
B5. “Paralytic Lovers” (1:35)
B6. “Rumba Y Cañones” (2:23)

Sessions occurred at Studio-Nord-Bremen in Brussels, with production by Cos and recording, mixing, and mastering handled by Alain Pierre and Studio-Nord-Bremen engineers.

The album’s inner sleeve and fold-out inserts feature graphics and photography by Jean Pierre Novak, with some editions including German notes and interviews with Schell.

Pasiones explores the Spanish Civil War through operatic storytelling across five languages, combining avant-pop, new wave, cabaret, and African-influenced bass lines. Schell’s compositional control and the ensemble’s versatile instrumentation create a dense, theatrical experience, marking the final full-length statement from Cos.

Hotel Atlantic

In 1984, Cos released Hotel Atlantic, a three-song EP on Lark.

The EP emphasizes concise, sharply turned compositions with a minimal lineup centered on Daniel Schell, who plays Chapman Stick, keyboards, and sings. Guitarist Nicolas Fiszman and drummer Philippe Allaert round out the trio, with occasional vocals from Ilona Chale De Chambord adding texture.

Schell wrote all three tracks, shaping the EP’s angular arrangements and tightly paced instrumental interplay.

The songs divide into two energetic A-side pieces and a more reflective B-side closer. “Hôtel Atlantic (Three Escimos Is a Popular Song)” opens with Schell’s Chapman Stick providing contoured bass patterns against Allaert’s precise drumming. “Frau y Man” emphasizes rhythmic shifts over keyboards and sparse guitar lines. The B-side, “Très joli,” slows the pace slightly while maintaining clear interplay among the trio, with vocal lines weaving above the instruments.

A1. “Hôtel Atlantic (Three Escimos Is a Popular Song)” (3:55)
A2. “Frau y Man” (3:23)
B1. “Très joli” (3:48)

Sessions occurred at an unspecified studio in Brussels, produced by Cos and Jürgen Hellweg, engineered by Olivier Debay.

Hotel Atlantic features cover and design by Jutta Kestner and W. Nieselski.

Discography: