The Jon Cohen Experimental are back with the difficult second album. Well I say difficult but it sounds more like Jon & Co. knocked this LP out over a long weekend with a smile on their face. It sounds very natural, which is exactly what we’ve gotten used to from the Canadian band.
Behold is the name of the 11 track record, and if you liked the first album you’ll love this one too. It’s much the same easy listening rock with just a pinch of abnormality. The record has been out for a few weeks now and it’s been getting nothing but good press. And the good news is it’s about to get more!
Easy listening rock music isn’t very hard to do. Millions of bands have been down that road and some have done well for themselves. But not all make it, and that’s because they don’t always know what they’re doing. Jon Cohen knows exactly what he’s doing, and this is seen through out the album. The song ‘Don’t Be The Cloud‘ could not be a better example of a genius of the genre doing what he does best. It’s the kind of song you could put on repeat as you fall asleep.
But don’t think the LP is all quiet chords and triangles, there are one or two songs in which the pace quickens up. ‘No More Videos Just Teasers‘ is a song in which JCEX get louder, and yet it still somehow fits in perfectly with the rest of the album. As well as that every song on the album has its own little thing going for it. They all have a personality that draws you into it.
I don’t often find a record in which I like every song. There’s usually an Achilles heel somewhere, usually towards the end. But if anything Behold gets better and better as it goes along, and you slip further into a blissful state of mind.
I write this with all the best in mind – Jon Cohen is coming into his prime in the wrong decade. The fan base is out there, but if he was around in the late 60s people might be talking about his band like they talk about The Beatles today. And that’s about as much praise as I can be giving.