Sam Cohen – Cool It
Rating: 
2015, as its seen us so far, appears to be the year of the solo-artist; that member of the band who wasn’t the front man, or woman, striking out on their own to craft exactly their vision under their name, or perhaps just to create music that’s a little different from other projects. Sam Cohen is no exception to this phenomenon: a past member of Apollo Sunshine and the man behind Yellowbirds, he has put those other projects aside for now to focus on Cool It, a laid back psychedelic rock record, which he recorded completely on his own, save for a few guest appearances by other members of Yellowbirds. The mellow tone of the solo debut dominates the sound, but there are moments of sharpness in the mix that snap you from the smoky depths of this trance and into clarity.
The overall sound on Cool It, as I mentioned earlier is a blend between soft rock and psychedelic music, which seemingly is synth driven, but is, in fact, produced from heavily distorted guitars. Opener “Let The Mountain Come To You,” is about the most rambunctious and energized track you’ll hear from Cohen here, though still fairly even and relaxed. On this opening number, the guitars are fuzzed out to the max, growling along while some lighter and winding sounds join the mix. Cohen’s vocals are echoey, wafting in even-tempered and effortlessly. All the buzzing guitars and glazed vocals contribute to a gentle sound on the album, and the whole thing feels coated in a bit of warm glow.
Lyrically, the album mirrors the style of music: a mix between hazy and lucid, stark imagery mixed with colloquial and casual remarks on the mundane, both of which converge in philosophical musings. There are tracks like “The Garden” that describe a day in the life of a musician: “Went to your house on Friday, drank a few beers, we played the gig on Sunday for the past six years.” But then there are tracks like the obviously Hemingway-inspired “A Farewell To Arms,” on which Cohen appears to assume the role of the protagonist from that 20th century novel, calling after Catherine. It’s clear that there are both erudite and colloquial approaches to the lyrics on the album, which beg to be the center of attention on the album.
Cool It is easy listening, the kind of record that you spin on your day off and begs you to do little else but simply fade into it. The problem, or perhaps some would hear this as a solution, is that sometimes it’s a little too easy; the music is pleasurable but not challenging, allowing you to zone out entirely and lose focus on the songs. Whether you see this as a positive or negative is up to you.
