Chris Cohen
Overgrown Path
Captured Tracks [2012]
You may not know the name Chris Cohen yet, but anybody who has followed indie music for the past decade is familiar with the bands he has been in and played with. The list reads like an indie who’s who and includes Deerhoof, Cass McCombs, and Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, to name the most prominent. As is often the case when a sideman goes solo, we find that Cohen’s music doesn’t necessarily sound like any of the bands he has been in. Instead, he works in more of a low-key/mid-tempo vein, with melodies that call to mind 70’s era Beach Boys or a more contemporary artist such as Kelley Stoltz. It’s also important to note that Cohen plays all the music himself on Overgrown Path, so it is a true “solo” record, and any success or failure falls squarely on his shoulders. Cohen is more than up to the challenge.
What struck me immediately about the record was Cohen’s bass playing on “Solitude.” He serves up fat bass lines like Brian Wilson (or Carol Kaye, whoever was playing on the session) that recall the greatness of Beach Boys tracks like “Don’t Talk” or “Sloop John B.” Elsewhere on the track, there is a haunting piano line played over just some background noise that really helps to set the solitary mood, which is only driven home further by Cohen’s haunting and lonesome vocal. Another perfect example of this is on the next-to-last track, “Don’t Look Today,” which starts slow and moody before kicking into an uptempo gear after about a minute. This is as close as Overgrown Path comes to sounding like Ariel Pink, and it’s a stunning shift.
The closing track, “Open Theme,” reminded me immediately of one of those great Dennis Wilson weepers off Carl and the Passions – So Tough, with its sparse piano, light drums, and impossibly gorgeous harmony. It’s the best track on the record, and the one that is going to make you want to hit repeat over and over. It’s a really cool track, and it’s hard to believe that Cohen recorded this by himself.
Captured Tracks is really putting out some of the coolest music right now, and is probably my favorite label of the moment. It’s to the point now where if they are putting it out, you know it’s going to be good. Chris Cohen’s Overgrown Path is yet another winner. I don’t know how they are doing it, but let’s hope they keep it up. As for Chris Cohen, this is the record that is going to move him out from the shadows and put him directly in the spotlight.
Key Tracks: “Solitude” / “Open Theme” / “Don’t Look Today”
Artists With Similar Fire: Beach Boys / Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti / Kelley Stoltz
Born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, I am extremely proud of the area I grew up in and the influence it has had on the world at large, from the Wright Brothers to Robert Pollard, the area has been a center of innovation both technologically and artistically. During my college years at the University of Dayton, I found myself becoming more and more immersed in the local music scene, a period of time in the early to mid 90's that coincided with the rise of bands like Guided by Voices, Brainiac, and The Breeders, who added to the rich musical legacy of the area. Dayton is also the hometown of many giants of funk in the 70's and is also the birthplace of Jazz greats Billy Strayhorn, John Scofield and Bud Shank. I wrote extensively for The Fire Note, a great online magazine focused on indie rock, in the 2010's while simultaneously being a partner in Rockathon Records, before retiring from both in 2018. In 2024, my thoughts turned back to helping at Rockathon and more importantly to pick back up on my writing, and more specifically to write about my love of jazz. I'm always listening, always searching for something new, something great. It's been a lifelong journey, and I still feel like there is so much out there to hear.
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
