Reviews

I must admit that what caught my attention to this band was their name - Agent Cooper, what sold me on Agent Cooper was their new release, "A Beginner's Mind." A pleasant surprise to say the least, AC has been a frequent flyer in my car, mp3 player, home entertainment system and laptop. I am very impressed with AC's ability to produce high energy progressive rock without the pomp and pretension. In an interview with keyboardist Eric Frampton, he stated "We bring two things to the table, as far as I'm concerned: a song-oriented approach that is a bit more accessible than some other offerings out there and a sense of humor - we don't take ourselves too seriously." And I think that is a perfect description for AC...
www.prog4you.com/cd-reviews-02-06/Agent_Cooper.htm

There are a lot of progressive pop/rock bands surfacing at this time; the type of pop/rock that leans toward modern rock with some technical elements thrown in. Agent Cooper kind of reminds me of bands like Orphan Project and Sylvain, not exactly neo-prog (like Marillion or Saga) and not exactly AOR; these guys fit in that mold somewhere between. While ‘Beginner’s Mind’ has a live, but yet dry sound to it (production wise), the musicianship is anything but dry. Cuts such as the hard rocking ‘Taipei,’ the artsy groove with ‘Struggle Like I Do,’ as well as the more sophisticated Yes-meets-Kevin Gilbert tracks such as ‘In the Bottle’ and ‘She Screams’ showcase the band’s ability to propagate melodies and not incinerate them with too much jamming and so on...
www.ytsejam.com/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=884

Spanish review
manticornio.com/rock-progresivo/A/AGENT-COOPER/beginner's-mind.html

...Like on their debut, Agent Cooper writes good songs, and with Busbee they have a very good and sympathetic singer. The music is certainly not prog or symphonic (except a bit of mellotron in the excellent She Screams, and a symphonic ending to Struggle Like I Do), instead the band takes a sophisticated, melodic approach to rock with catchy choruses that are often right on the spot. The drummer may not be that adventurous, the songs are certainly varied enough, and most of the melodies are good enough to stick in your head. Comparing the album to the debut, it seems to me that that album was more delicate, less rocking. I guess if you like the rockier, less symphonic side of Spock's Beard, the compact side of Porcupine Tree, or a band like King's X, then Agent Cooper might be a pleasant and highly energetic surprise, which keeps the best three songs for last.
www.cs.uu.nl/people/jur/reviews/beginnersmind.html

I tend to get a bit lost in the heavier tracks, but then they come up with something like She Screams which is an awesome track! And they don’t let up there, they follow it up with two more tracks more or less in the same genre and this is where the band really shines and shows incredible talent. I’d like to see the next album be all along the style of these tracks, it would be simply incredible. Although this particular album is uneven at times, it’s worth getting, especially for the last three tracks and the opener, East Indian Sun. 3.5/5
www.webcandesign.com/ajmusicmedia/Without_FL/iframes/iframe_artists/reviews/original/agent_cooper.asp

Norweigian review
www.lordsofmetal.nl/showreview.php?id=7092

German review
www.idioglossia.de/review.php?id=309

The Atlanta/Georgia/USA based band AGENT COOPER returns with a new CD titled ‘Beginner’s mind’, which is the follow-up to their same titled debut CD from 1999. The band is still playing Progressive Rock, although I am not sure how it sounded on their first CD as I haven’t listened to it for quite some time now, but what I do know is that this new CD brings memories of bands like ENCHANT, ICE AGE, CAIRO, so what we get to hear is high quality superb melodic American progressive rock with very clean melodic lead vocals (almost AORish a la DENNIS DE YOUNG) and a sound also inspired by 70s KANSAS and STYX besides the usual progressive rock influences of YES and DREAM THEATER. A fantastic sensational original Melodic Pomp/Progrock CD in the best American tradition. Together with CRYPTIC VISION, this AGENT COOPER waves the flag of the next generation of classic progbands from the USA. The best songs from the 10 included are “East Indian sun”, “In the bottle” (superb uptempo, very strong chorus), “The heat” and “She screams” (beautiful calmer song, which also has keys a la STYX’s “Fooling yourself”). Without a doubt, a superb record, which should be in the hands of every Pomp/American progfan, because take it from me, this new AGENT COOPER is a perfect mix between STYX, KANSAS, ICE AGE, CAIRO, SHADOW GALLERY and ENCHANT.
www.angelfire.com/zine2/gk/HOTNEWREVIEWS.htm

Italian review
www.hardsounds.it/PUBLIC/recensione.php?id=2162

...In fact, Agent Cooper’s musical dexterity is what makes Beginner’s Mind the perfect progressive-rock album for people who don’t like progressive rock, because they won’t even know they’re listening to a band that actually labels itself a modern prog act. While the manic “Shallow Disease” and “Timing Crucial” are easily this record’s proggiest pieces, other songs like the ethnic-etched “East Indian Sun” and “I Never Remember” have broad appeal despite their progressive leanings. “Taipai” would be right at home on modern-rock radio, and the mid-tempo “She Screams," in its own warped way, sounds like Styx. Near album’s end, the tender "You Know" and “Struggle Like I Do” – during which a father encourages his son to straighten out his life – reflect more of a singer/songwriter approach, and the acoustic coda on “Struggle Like I Do” hints at an organic, even more melodic direction for this band. With the proper promotion, this Agent may not be a secret for much longer ...
www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=3333

...So what we have here is a CD running just a tick over 46-minutes with ten tracks, most in the three or four minute range with the longest being six and half minutes. That being said, it’s quite amazing how much happens within these short songs. Agent Cooper are very adept at turning things on a dime within these confines. You don’t even really notice how short the songs are because there is so much going on. And it’s not that there is an over-the-top kind of complexity, no, it’s more that these songs seem to tumble, one segment into the next. Lots of nice, smooth shifts in time and tempo, but the one thing that holds this collection of songs together are the driving melodies. They are everywhere, in the slow songs, the mid-tempo ones and even in the up-tempo tracks. This is an amazingly balanced CD...
www.dvdivas.net/ProgVoices/A/agentcooper-beginnersmind-jerry.html

This is my first exposure to Agent Cooper. They’re part of what could be called the new American progressive Rock movement, even though they’re more rooted in the modern rock genre. To my ears I hear many influences both classic such as Kansas, Rush and Saga to the modern bands such as Tool, Dead Soul Tribe and King’s X to name a few. Agent Cooper takes these influences and forges their own take on progressive rock with the emphasis on the future sounds rather than emulating the past. If needed, one can include them in the same sentence as bands like Tiles and Enchant...
www.geocities.com/prognaut/reviews/agent-cooper.html

pening with an Eastern sounding feeling in “East indian sun” the band quickly shows interesting powerful riffs and melodies. The music here has much of rock and something of heavy metal and progressive rock too. There are multiple changes in the compositions and also multiple arrangements in each one of them. The vocalist is very versatile and he can emphasize the heaviest parts and simultaneously sound very melodic in other parts of the tunes. This band is fresh air for a scene that for a scene that sometimes is stagnant as the hard rock one. Bands like this one are very welcome since they contribute new ideas. There is very good guitar work and a very tight rhythm section. The album has a direct sound, very well mixed, at a very high volume, giving extra points to this recording. Pure rocking sound !!!
www.musicextreme.com/cd0605b.htm#AGENT_COOPER_-_BEGINNER´S_MIND

...Fans of prog rock should definitely be checking these guys out. Even if prog rock isn’t necessarily your cup of tea, Agent Cooper’s Beginner’s Mind is more than just that. In fact, they are more like prog influenced rock. Sure the progressive elements are there but they are secondary at times to the solid rock base and the good songs that these guys create. Give it a go… you might be surprised just as I was.
www.themetalforge.com/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=457

The American prog rock band Agent Cooper was/is a complete mystery to me. So I was really surprised when I listened to their second album for the first time. Like a flash before my eyes the CD was over and I thought I had heard musical influences of magnificent rock bands like Rush, Saga and Kansas. After listening to the album several times I can truly say that AC has done a great job. This is progressive, modern prog rock, like it should be. It really is infectious stuff, it is creative and the music really has depth. Nigel Camilleri's review of their 1999 eponymous debut release would also confirm this...
www.dprp.net/reviews/200549.html#agentcooper

Beginner's Mind is my first encounter with Agent Cooper and I am quite enthousiastic about what I have heard. The first track "East Indian Sun" is quite heavy and somewhat reminds me of Arena. The five next pieces remain on the heavy side, but I find them to be a bit more melodic, this in part because of the use of vocal harmonies. The busier side of recent Echolyn comes to my mind while listening to these songs, and I consider Agent Cooper to be just as good as them...
www.proGGnosis.com/MUSIC_DBCDInfo.asp?txtCDID=16769

French review
www.musicinbelgium.net/pl/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=1068

...Beginner's Mind opens with the middle-eastern toned and themed "East Indian Sun." If the band were any more tight here - in sync but also very close-knitted - I think they'd implode. The vocal delivery is very controlled and restrained, even as musically this track soars to epic scale (with Longmuir on bass, Robinson on drums). This kind of feeling is present throughout the album. And man can they ROCK; the acidic-rough "Shallow Disease" attacks with metal ferocity tempered with throaty vocal harmonies (and the occasional tinkly piano; Longmuir and Robinson here again). Or the catchy melodic metal piece that follows, "…In The Bottle," that recalls - dare I say it? - Night Ranger. It's a rave up, high energy rocker… with parpiest, wheeziest keyboard solo I've heard yet...
www.progressiveworld.net/html/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=2426