This is a review of "Untitled" recorded by Cognoscenti. The review was written by Holden DeForge in 2004.

"You Alight: Reduction" with an out of tune guitar isn't a great first impression, but as the tune kicks in it has quite a nice hook to it. It's all very Strokes-y but the lead guitar is mixed well down, it sound like maybe he turned up to a different studio to record his part. The vocalist hasn't got a great voice really, it's not unlistenable but nor is it anywhere approaching being good. The shouty backing vocals are a good idea but poorly executed and it just leaves the whole thing sounding like a mess.

"Leaving Liverpool" has a drum'n'bass beat over which fuzzy guitars enter. Not fuzzy in a good way. Just fuzzy. The vocals here slip from being poor to plain awful. Someone in the band should have the balls to admit it and look for someone who can deliver vocally as some of the melodic ideas here aren't so bad, this band isn't a lost cause yet.

The CD closes with "Emergent Crown". Another nice guitar line introduces what becomes a synth led afair which is let down by the fact that this CD suffers from extremely poor production and those nasty vocals. The ideas are there but the execution is way off the mark. I'm afraid this CD is just lacking in ay degree of quality. A better recording would certainly have served the band better, I have heard worse songs for sure. With a new vocalist and better production there may still be some hope for Cognoscenti.