Stylianos Ou & The Cortisol Cows Fucked Forever

Greek musician Stelios Papagrigoriou is a practitioner of a dizzying array of creative pursuits. He is a published author with novels, poems and short stories to his credit. His award-winning visual arts practice encompasses sculpture, installations and painting (which adorn the front and back covers). Papagrigoriou has also delved into the digital art realm, proving that no medium is beyond his grasp. Reflecting his voracious appetite, Papagrigoriou’s wide-ranging sonic explorations are just as intriguing and well-executed as the other forms he operates in. Hand & Leg, an art-punk duo with Iro Sofoulaki on bass and Papagrigoriou on drums, put out two albums of addictive, angular crunch before hanging up their limbs. Adopting the moniker Stylianos Ou, Papagrigoriou has embarked upon yet another expedition into uncharted waters. In 2023, Søvn Records released To Qfahlogo, a complete about-face from Hand & Leg, with Papagrigoriou using a modular synth to sculpt Aphex Twin-like compositions. Blending the processed voices of children with frenetic percussive textures, this alien landscape beckoned with a strangely human hand. Just when you think you’ve got Ou figured out, he makes yet another 180 degree turn into an arena that might surprise even his most dedicated listeners—the Athens-based polymath has gone full singer-songwriter." "Released by Ever/Never Records, Fucked Forever finds Ou in troubadour mode, bringing along an entire band, the Cortisol Cows, to lay down a suite of songs teeming with bitter laughter, triumphant resignation and fleeting glimpses of that most elusive of instincts—hope. At first glance, Ou’s version of hope might seem incompatible with yours. To the matter of his intentions, he tells us that, 'Songs work slowly and with no clear purpose, and for sure, even the most humble ones, are a great way to learn how to live, to learn how to die and maybe for some magical seconds, to see clearly and in all its glory, the blistering flame that consumes us constantly.' I doubt Burt Bacharach ever had thoughts like this, but Lead Belly probably did. Then again, Mr. Huddie Ledbetter never had a chance to pen an ode to one of the 21st century’s most controversial authors, as Ou does with 'Houellebecq My Brother.' Ou’s willingness to engage the sordid affectations and indignities of modern life is revealed by song titles such as 'Prophet Squirting,' 'Our Fake Tits' and 'Pornhub Spiritual.' Like respectful jesters at a funeral, the quintet—using banjo, cello, bongos, piano—acquits itself with grace and sensitivity, never overwhelming the lyrical concerns, but fleshing them out, letting them stretch-out and breathe, while never going slack. The way the songs roll and twang and hint at a wildness simmering beneath the tattered elegance resembles acclaimed labelmates Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band, old hands like Bonnie 'Prince” Billy', departed masters like Sparklehorse and rising stars like MJ Lenderman." "This is music made for bars where the walls sweat whiskey, cigarette smoke feels like a breath of fresh air, as the patrons stand on wobbly legs and sway like their lives depend on it. And perhaps they do. The last word goes to PapagrigoriOU—'We wait for songs as we wait for trains in the night, or people in our lives. These songs were living inside of me like bacteria and finally bloomed.'" "If we are truly Fucked Forever, then at least we now have the proper soundtrack."—Erick Bradshaw