Cosmo Jarvis is going to be a big deal. He is a complete package; an accomplished filmmaker, a brilliant composer and an exceptional live performer. With over 270 songs and 65 films under his belt, he clearly understands the modern media climate and the interplay between different artistic disciplines. At the tender age of twenty-one, his unflappable drive and unwavering self-confidence resounds in everything he does. Born in 1989 in Ridgewood, New Jersey, Cosmo Harrison Krikoryan Jarvis moved to Devon, England as a young child. Here he developed a passion for filmmaking and composing music to accompany these films. In musical terms, he lists John Lennon, Elliott Smith and Frank Zappa as his primary influences, and he couldn’t be more on the money. He has an effortless vocal range and a ‘do it myself’ attitude that screams Elliott Smith, but his ability to understand pop licks like Lennon and ‘big picture’ composition like Zappa stamp him as an utterly unique artist. Cosmo’s film influences are just as varied and exciting. He cites George Lucas, Samuel L. Jackson and even Will Smith. His short film Alley Way was screened at the SXSW Film Festival, and he is currently working on his first feature “Naughty Room”. Like his bedroom recordings his films are devised, directed and produced completely by himself. But it hasn’t been an easy ride so far. After a slanderous review in NME, a less than productive American tour and uncertainty from radio stations around the country, you would think Cosmo might have contemplated selling out to the Man. Not so. Cosmo doesn’t care what you think. He doesn’t care what I think, even if I think he’s one of the most refreshing artists to emerge in the last decade. Cosmo is motivated only by the love of what he does, and in an increasingly contrived media world, I hope this gets him very far. Somewhere between perfect pop, deep funk and nonchalant virtuosity, Cosmo inhabits a ground that he is fast beginning to claim as his own. I’m not really sure if there would be room for another Cosmo anyway; he’s as crude as he is brilliant and observant as he is naïve, yet mature beyond his years. It doesn’t matter if his lyrics tackle piss in cups or broken homes, it’s all Cosmo. Cosmo is just Cosmo. By Edwin Ellis http://myspace.com/CosmoJarvis http://cosmojarvis.com
