As a lyricist, Fresh & Onlys frontman Tim Cohen clearly evokes the early era of rock'n'roll he also explores in his music. His chord changes are simple without being rudimentary, his lyrics are romantic without being cheesy, and-- perhaps most notably-- his output is outrageously prolific without skirting inconsistency. Since 2009, the Fresh & Onlys have released three full-lengths and handfuls of 7"s and 12"s, all while touring regularly and taking a long enough "break" for Cohen to release his second solo set, Laugh Tracks (following the limited-edition The Two Sides of Tim Cohen). After the praise for fall's Play It Strange, you could expect Cohen to take a little break-- or at least wring a little more life out of a record that was released barely four months ago. But that is not Tim Cohen's way; instead, we've been given the separate-but-simultaneous release of a new LP and EP from a good songwriter who can't seem to stop writing songs.
The big draw here is the album, Magic Trick, a collection that leans heavily on the well-worn themes of heartbreak and mortality. "Love," Cohen croons on acoustic ballad "Legerdemain", "is a trick of the heart/ A twist of the arm." Rife with background singers, a cascading bassline, and subtle piano, the song is reminiscent of Conway Twitty, at least before the its thunderous, noisy ending. Like Laugh Tracks, Magic Trick is more restrained than Cohen's work with the Fresh & Onlys, but the latter album is marked with a sense of nuance, a likely consequence of its being his first LP since recording Play it Strange in a studio with an outside producer (Tim Green, who has worked with the Fucking Champs and Comets on Fire). Spacey effects wobble throughout "The Flower", while thudding, muffled drums gallop slowly but majestically on "Sweetheart", and the bouncy rhythm section on "Top on Tight" highlights Cohen's oft-unmentioned hip-hop influence.
Bad Blood contains the same sort of attention to production, but in smaller doses. Opener "Delicate Creatures" carries similar ambiance as "The Flower", here bookended by ringing guitars. And while distant keyboards punctuate the EP's title track, a little less focus was put into the sonic aspects of this shorter set of songs. Bad Blood is yet another solid set, however, often marrying feelings of struggle to Cohen's brightest pop numbers yet.
Despite being so consistent, there are clear standouts. "I and I Will Be" and "Hey Little One" are pop songs too bouncy for the driving garage of his main band, but they fit perfectly into the grab-bag of styles featured in his solo work. Magic Trick closer "I Looked Up" is the highlight of both offerings, with Cohen indulging in his gift for balladry, building on top of something heartfelt and quiet with a climactic crescendo that includes a tempo change and a makeshift choir.
Given the amount of Fresh & Onlys material already out there, it's unlikely Magic Trick and Bad Blood will usher new fans into the fold, but that's not why they exist. As Tim Cohen continues building his impressive catalog, it seems he can't help but document the progress of his songwriting. Recording music, collecting the most cohesive bits together, and throwing it all into the either multiple times a year seems to be the only working process he knows, the magic trick that he never messes up. And fans of his work-- a number that seems to grow little by little every year-- benefit greatly by having so many of his songs at their disposal.
