Press

"This is a pale-beautiful record that catches a mood and eloquently bares the soul." -- Saul, the-mag (8/2007)

Please visit the-mag to read the full review.

THE NOISE (7/2007)
"Sheila Bommakanti is Cober. She plays an Epiphone SG double neck with two Marshall amps that bookend her dramatically lit stage presentation. Her guitar parts are doubled with loops and her smooth dark vocal melodies swim in a sea of reverb. Her long black hair curves like waves of snakes - the visual balance of the music created. She expertly executes changes between the guitar necks with calm control. You could say she's a goth version of Bleu's e-band - a very soothing sensual experience." - T Max

Check out T Max's full review of the Bats in the Belfry Anniversary show here.

BOSTON HERALD (3/5/2007)
"Cober stokes the Abbey flame"

Sheila Bommakanti knows the vibe her music gives off. As the mastermind behind Cober - a "band" made of up Bommakanti's haunting vocals, a double-necked Gibson SG guitar and two Marshall half-stack amps - there are artistic pitfalls to creating music that channels dark emotions in an experimentally gothic sound. Cober's songs may be softly kissed by doom and gloom - with a hint of optimism buried here and there - but Bommakanti shines a different light.

"I've actually been told I'm rather pleasant to be around," Bommakanti said. "I guess I'll put it this way: I once heard one of the Marsalis brothers talking about the blues. He said listening to the blues didn't bring him down, it made him happy. My music is kind of like that. Not sugar-coating reality, but more like letting you know someone has been there, too."

And alongside personal experiences, "there" is also a long and winding road that stretches across Interstate 90 to her home of Seattle. It's been a journey that's seen Cober start as a solo project six years ago. Along the way, it augmented into a full band, then was stripped down to just Bommakanti, taking us to last year's "Eulogy," a collection of ballads as dark as the name suggests, with hypnotic lyrics that dance over echoing guitar delay effects.

Naturally, where there is death there is also new life, so Bommakanti's tales of despair and loss carry an underlying message of hope.

"My inspiration comes from living life, and the emotions that go with it," she said. "The songs are personal, but other people can relate to them. The things I sing about are not unique to me, necessarily." - Michael Marotta

"Cober: Glowing like an ember in the darkness." - Jim Sullivan (3/2007)
Please visit JimSullivanInk.com for the whole article.

Geoff Melton of the Music Korner writes, "With the release of Eulogy Cober has come full circle back to a solo project for Sheila Bommakanti. I recently spoke to Sheila about this evolution, her new album and recent move from Seattle to Boston and here's what she had to say on those subjects and more."
Read Sheila's whole interview with Geoff here. (1/2007)

Multi-instrumental virtuoso Sheila Bommakanti doesn't seem like a sad person, but the music she makes as Cober (formerly a full band, now just her) is so mind-numbingly gloomy and painfully depressing it makes Radiohead sound like a backyard barbecue soundtrack, perfect for some light volleyball and a few 'dogs. The idea of seeing her on a Sunday, too (this one, in fact, at the Middle East Upstairs) is something like taking Solzhenitsyn to the beach instead of that Da Vinci whatever-it-is you're still reading.

Her absorbing new album, "The Breaker," has earned her a reputation in her native Seattle as the "queen of downer rock" (and they'd know).

Make no mistake, however: the stuff is cathartic. If you're in need of a full-on emotional cleansing that's first ethereal and delicate and then loud and skull-splitting, look no further.

Cober is part of a bill that includes Talk Radio, Plumerai, Sleepshell and The Jumblies. Tickets $8 at the door, music starts at 8 p.m., show is 18 plus. - CHAD BERNDTSON

"Cober's music shares a somber brightness and an emotional honesty....Her soaring vocals telegraph both a raw anger and a lush warmth." - International Examiner (8/2004)

"2004 may be the year of female-band domination."
- Tom Scanlon, Seattle Times (1/2/2004)
Cober was among the few bands noted to watch in 2004. Read the article here.

GUITAR PLAYER (12/2003)
Check out Cober's interview with GP for their Unsigned Artist Alert spotlight!

Even if they weren't from the Pacific Northwest, it would be hard to ignore the furious, numbing despair and the blacker-than-black Hole of self-loathing at the core of Cober's stormy approach. Far from being a neo-grunge platter warmed over 10 years too late, however, the Seattle duo's second album is a bruised, bitterly elegant - and often devastating - exposition on betrayal ("Hear Lies"), emotional abandonment ("Nothing Left"), and withering regret (any number of other tunes). The surprise is how painstakingly lovely and graceful all of the blood letting sounds, from the sinewy, L7-ish riff-rocker "Red Granite" to the spangled Mazzy-Star-with-fangs swirl of the title track to the poisonous thundercloud "Wedding Song (Abacus)," which swells and builds with whisper-to-scream ferocity. The cumulative effect of this last one evokes Live Through This-era Courtney Love wailing against the foreboding backdrop of a Come dirge.

You could definitely say that. Then I thought: perhaps that's part of the point; you're not supposed to get over this band easily, like a malingering broken heart for some twisted, unworthy soul from your past who you just can't shake. It thunders and booms and it remains. Is that good? Is it bad? Does it matter? It just is. It's Cober.

Frontwoman Sheila Bommakanti has a voice to intimidate. Dark and low, lower than you would think possible, and loud, dark, brooding, direct. It's powerful. It's nothing I would ordinarily choose to listen to at home... well, maybe unless I were in a really bad mood, or really wanted to intimidate my neighbors. But it's definitely interesting. Definitely unique. Ponderous. I was frightened, yet intrigued.

Sounds like? Think heavy metal with a bronzed-gothic edge. Concrete Blonde. The Damned. April suggested that her vocals sounded like 16 Horsepower.

I heard driving bass, pounding through my foamy earplug protection, with simple repetitive guitar chords floating through. They resonate like sullen heartache. It's like grunge's dark bastard step-daughter who sulks in her room. With her guitar. And, according to their web site, her mandolin and her harpsichord. Hmm, didn't hear any of that during my five or so song listening stint. Too bad...

{aside: it was at this point that it became crucial to get french fries. My first thought: Oh god, I am spending *way* too much time at Graceland if I am now taking to eating here. My second thought: my GOD these are great fries! Fresh rosemary, and thyme, and cumin? Who knew they took such culinary pride? But anyhoo...}

Interested in hearing more (about Cober, not french fries)...?

"Bommakanti is an artist to watch...The dark sound of Cober gets an energetic update on the band’s second album, The Breaker." - Lisa Tsering, India West (12/2002)

It's described as goth-grunge by some and there is certainly a sort of coldwave atmosphere around (some people heard ghosts from Echo And The Bunnymen and The Cure in here, which is true....) but the whole music is strongly characterised by the voice of Sheila V. Bommakanti. You might be thinking that I am joking if I tell you Sheila has the same in-depth from Courtney Love, but it's the only thing I can do... The reason why I'm referring to the goddess of Seattle (even if one day it can be Sheila) is because the vocals from Sheila makes you feel like she is suffering while the music from Cober is played in an almost irritating painful slow way (think Come if you still remember). Cober are a band who play about emotions and you can hear them perfectly on every song...the concept of the cd is in fact that a person can be broken by a passion, and we know how it feels and the music by Cober only reinforces this feeling...someone said the more painful sex is, the better it is...music probably follows that rule too. Superb album. - Didier Becu

"Cober's debut CD, Crashpilot, is a beautifully complex mix of alternative rock sounds....her songs speak of lies, ambiguity, and the search for life's purposes, and her startlingly deep, dark voice bounces off the careening chords on her guitar..." - Lisa Tsering, INDIA WEST (3/8/2002)
India West gave Cober a warm response for Crashpilot with a front page article in their newspaper.

"Crashpilot, the debut album by the Seattle band Cober, reverberates with some of the best qualities of the Cure, Hole, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Sonic Youth and Concrete Blonde. But the album is more than recycled alternative rock. The title track drips along like maple syrup, and Sheila Bommakanti's sleepy, seductive voice and slow-motion guitar playing only thicken the molasses." - Lewis Taylor, The Register-Guard (1/25/2002)

"Smashing debut makes you long to hear from Cober again and again." - Tom Scanlon, THE SEATTLE TIMES (1/11/2002) Read the full article here.

I'm glad I did.

Cober encapsulates everything that's good about dark, brooding music on its debut full length, Crashpilot. The sound -- exemplified by Sheila Bommakanti's velvety croon and twinkling minor-key guitar choruses -- can easily be compared to bands like Hole, L7 and The Cure. And it has, by more than one lazy music journalist in the past.

But to limit oneself solely to those three bands would be crippling, at best. Sure, Bommakanti (the brainchild and primary instrumentalist behind Cober) comes off as a sort of Courtney Love-hound at times (yes, sometimes more than others). But her voice carries a passion with it that the former Hole front-lady sometimes lacked. When Love screamed, she sounded pissed. When Bommakanti screams, she sounds not only pissed, but hurt, tortured and almost irreparably scarred, to boot. That's important stuff on a rock record: the ability to emote and be a believable cat at the same time. Coupled with Bommakanti's spooky guitars, it's not only believable, it's spectral.

And those guitars: again, sure the arpeggios sparkle like lights in a Disneyland theme ride at night, bringing a decidedly Cure-like feel to the proceedings. Sure, the thump of the minor-key bass brings to mind bands such as Depeche Mode and New Order (albeit without the techno twist). But Bommakanti seems to take an almost militaristic approach to her talent with an effects pedal: every track showcases a new, intriguing sound to be explored and lost in. Like the plot of a Hans Christian Anderson children's story, they supply the subversive thread that the rest of the song seems to follow. Even when she's supplying simple, feedback-drenched bends, she tweaks them like she means it. The result is seamless. It's not in your face. It's just there. Where it's supposed to be.

"After Dark," for example, begins with a Disintegration-era Cure bass riff before a distorted guitar screams in from the distance, wailing and crying like a jilted banshee. "Nightlight," on the other hand, begins with a chiming arpeggiated riff, a lonely ship's bell cutting into a fog-soaked night. And album opener "Call It What It Is..." is a waltz-like number centered around a yearning, delayed guitar riff, evoking the mood of the struggle of the song.

Listening to the album is like getting caught in a pool of molasses. The beats are slow and heavy as all Hell, and the mood is similar to the one you feel after -- and this is a very hackneyed line here -- the one after your best lover's broken up with you. Actually, it's the one you feel a week after, when the hurt takes on a tinge of purple, melancholic hope. Only a little, though. And I mean a smidgeon.

The only real departure from the apocalyptic beats and drudging bass lines is in the upbeat New Wave of "Handprints," but even then the melancholy remains. It's like Bommakanti can't get loss out of her head, and it's driving her interminably and utterly demented. But anyone who's that disturbed couldn't possibly make an album of this breadth and beauty. Could they? - Matthew Chabe

OREGON DAILY EMERALD (11/14/2002)
Cober's music is all about angst. But this is no annoying whining; it's pure addictive agony draped in black velvet. The Seattle band's sophomore album, "the breaker," more than parallels its first endeavor, "Crashpilot." Listening to "the breaker" is like eating expensive chocolate cake, except you'll be crying all over it. The ingredients are expertly interwoven -- Mazzy Star-esque vocals providing the icing to smooth, rich layers of guitars, drums and harpsichord.

One of the band's other stand-out features is that frontwoman Sheila V. Bommakanti does much of the behind-the-scenes work herself. The vocalist and multi-talented instrumentalist wrote all the words and music for both "Crashpilot" and "the breaker." For "the breaker," she also co-produced the album with Steve Carter and mixed and mastered the music with Carter and Paul Speer.

When Bommakanti produced "Crashpilot" with Speer, she was the entire band -- guitars, vocals, bass and mandolin -- with Steve Hill and Neal Speer contributing drum performances to some of the tracks. For "the breaker," she wisely added guitarist Lelani LaGuardia. Drummer Zach Barnhart also contributed to this album, and Hill returned to lend his expertise on the track "Red Granite."

Cober may be relatively obscure as of now, but the band's raw talent provides plenty of potential. It's refreshing to hear interesting instruments like the mandolin and harpsichord added to the mix, and it makes the music better knowing you're listening to a glistening secret few people have been lucky enough to discover.

If all this weren't enough, the album's deep, intriguing lyrics also make it the perfect break-up soundtrack. Songs from "the breaker" are guaranteed to satisfy even the strongest post-split craving for some indulgently dismal sounds -- and Cober is adept at pouring salt on the wounds. For example, the track "Hear Lies" laments, "I am made a fool of in conversations had / Thought I was talking to you, but I'm talking to myself / I may try and act out the parts that you defend / I am not good at this, but its fun to pretend."

West Coast Performer (6/2002)
Sheila Bommakanti and Leilani LaGuardia are weeping mistresses of ripe pain and misery. A folk inflection touches Bommakanti's vocal delivery, adding an almost Cowboy Junkies' vibe to the dripping sounds. The effort began as a solo project for the extremely talented Bommakanti (who sings and plays guitar, bass, and mandolin). Now, LaGuardia has joined in on guitars to complete the Cober vision. What is this vision exactly? It involves introspective lyrics about pain, death, and alienation -- everything that makes up a good goth or death rock album. With lyrics such as “All your dreams/Go up in smoke. So breathe this now/Before you go” (from “Handprints”), it isn't surprising that Cober are frequently compared to bands such as Siouxsie and the Banshees and Mazzy Starr. With Crashpilot, Cober straddles the area between heartfelt singer/songwriter music and the darker side of death rock music. It seems quite appropriate that the gloominess of Seattle can inspire and pervade songs such as “Crashpilot,” This title song laments knowledge about something you would rather not be privy to. As talented as these women are (and if the album is any indication, they have this in spades), Crashpilot feels alone in its delivery. The effort leaves an aftertaste as if Cober blew their entire wad at the racetrack to make their first, and only, album. Of course, this is merely conjecture. Time will tell if Cober has more tricks up their sleeve to share with the public. - Mai Le

SPLENDID (4/27/2002)
Cober, which at the time of this release consisted solely of Sheila Bommakanti, sounds like a fantasy mixture of various emotionally-troubled artists. There's a heavy dose of The Cure (most notably on the title track), a bit of Garbage (note the vocal effects on "Handprints") and a slew of Hole-esque moments. The main distinction between Bommakanti and Courtney Love is that when Love screams out her lyrics, she's likely to make you cringe, but Bommakanti somehow stays consistently in key, even when she's screaming at the top of her lungs. It's not an easy thing to do; I tried in the car -- it was awful. Cober may just have invented the artfully pretty wail. There are also notes of the darker, more powerful moments produced by Elysian Fields. "After Dark" sounds very much like a song that would fit nicely on Bleed Your Cedar, were Elysian Fields to take things up a notch.

The album's dark, near gothic tone is in perfect sync with the lyrics -- which, sometimes cryptically, speak of fear, doubt, forgiveness, deception and betrayal. On "Quicksand", Bommakanti sings, "And I see all who loathe / love me / I'm what you hoped I'd never be." She's not a happy-go-lucky type of gal (at least not in the world of making music), but you should be happy to get your hands on Crashpilot. Cober claims to sound unlike most current music, and while there are certain, obvious influences, they're correct in labeling themselves this way. If this album had come out in 1992, there would probably have been a slew of similar artists, but they've all either disappeared or moved on to a new sound. Bommakanti is unique in that not only did she stay true to the sort of music she was inspired to create, but much to our benefit, she perfected it and took it farther than many of her better-known predecessors. - Amy Leach

This self-released, 8-track CD is an incredible work of artistry--layering warm, rich guitar riffs, solid percussion, and sultry yet angry vocals that enter the ear and possess the listener's mind. Crashpilot borders somewhere between rock, goth and the newly ultra-popular female singer/songwriter style of music. The mixture works for Cober, and works well. Sheila is definitely a talented writer and performer. Basically a one-woman band on the CD, Sheila gets credited for guitars, vocals, bass and mandolin. Other artists on the album include Steve Hill and Neal Speer on percussion tracks.

Cober's press kit, included with the CD, suggested some tracks to listen to, helping me save my precious time. I say, "Thanks for the help, but I think I'll try to tackle the whole disc in one listen." Now, that was three days ago--and I haven't let it stop playing since. Though I have to agree that their song picks, "Winnebago," "Quicksand," and the title track, "Crashpilot," are all quite good. I personally picked a few I'd add to that list.

My first would be track two, "After Dark." This song is very moody and quite lyrically intense. My second recommendation would be the third song, "The Milky Way," which I felt was the most reminiscent of the Courtney Love/Hole style of vocals.

If I were creating a press pack for Cober, I don't think I'd single out just a few of the songs for review. I'd be proud to state that the reviewer should listen to the whole album--because it is well worth every minute of their listening time. Honestly, I couldn't get enough of this CD. For days I ate to it, drove with it, and even fell asleep by it. Crashpilot is just that good! Actually, I think I'm in love. - Kyle Mangino