Cousteau

In 1999 Cousteau introduced themselves via an independently issued, self-titled album that fused Bacharach-style songwriting with contemporary touches of groove and electronics. The project originated with veteran songwriter and pianist Davey Ray Moor and featured lead singer Liam McKahey, guitarist Robin Brown, bassist and violinist Joe Peet, plus drummer Craig Vear. The recording generated immediate local interest in the band’s London base, prompting Palm to acquire the independent release. Issued in the United States in 2000, the album attracted attention through club dates, reviews highlighting the group’s clear debts to Scott Walker, Roxy Music, and Nick Cave, and scattered airplay on adult-alternative and modern-rock stations drawn to its polished textures.

July 2002 brought the still-ambitious follow-up Sirena, which the band supported with further live work. After the final American date in Boston, Davey Ray Moor announced his departure to concentrate on solo endeavors. Liam McKahey, though new to songwriting, assumed the vacated compositional role; keyboardist Dan Moore joined, and the remaining members entered the studio to cut their third album, Nova Scotia, for Endeavor Records. The record appeared in the United Kingdom in 2005, yet legal obstacles forced the musicians to relinquish their original name. Under the new moniker Moreau, Nova Scotia reached American listeners in 2006 via Ten Little Indian Records.

Moor had already released his solo debut, Telepathy, the previous year, while McKahey’s parallel activities contributed to the original lineup’s dissolution. McKahey later issued the solo sets Lonely Road in 2009 and Black Vinyl Heart in 2014. In August 2016 Moor and McKahey, now the only surviving members, revealed they were reviving the band as CousteauX, inviting listeners to interpret the added character as “a kiss … and a scar.” The extra letter remains silent, leaving the pronunciation unchanged. Their first album under the revised name appeared in autumn 2017.