'Monsters' proves the promise and prowess of Cohen & the Ghost

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By Jason Andreasen

Following the release of 2008's Paper Moon, Cohen & the Ghost became one of Baton Rouge's most popular indie bands and one of its most critically acclaimed. The rollercoaster dynamics of the album's folk-influenced indie-pop gave them a distinct sound, one with a gravitational pull all its own.

This is part of what makes Monsters, the band's second album (the first officially under the Cohen & the Ghost banner), so noteworthy. It's ballsy.

A venture into more enigmatic and ominous-sounding territory than traversed on Paper Moon, Monsters proves the band is not afraid to experiment with their sound and the overarching ambience of a Cohen & the Ghost album. From the album's preface, "Doomsday" (a haunting instrumental which slowly builds and abruptly collapses in under two minutes) to the majority of the ten tracks that follow, you immediately recognize Cohen & the Ghost have stepped into musical shadows and from them announced themselves as possibly our area's most promising act.

As a vocalist, Cohen Hartman has taken a leap forward on Monsters. His words drip onto the sonic landscape and compliment the playing of his band mates with confidence and depth. His hovering and restrained delivery - reminiscent of early 70s David Bowie - is at times wonderfully disturbing and always intriguing.

"[During the Paper Moon recording] I wouldn't sing with energy as if I was actually performing," Hartman admitted, "but the live shows were completely different. So, my main goal on this record was to actually record the energy as if I were playing at a live show." Hartman explained.

However, much of the energy on Monsters is the product of the band's confidently adventurous musicianship. While there is no mistaking the nocturnal nature of the album, the wealth of musical influences called upon is impressive. From the distorted tango of "Gentleman's Lament" to the Eastern European lounge-swing of "Handshakes," from Andre' Dantin's textured guitar solos to the wealth of Aleksander Alfortish's percussion, each track offers something different making for an intense listen.

"For this one, we kind of went multiple-personality. We're devoting one album [Monsters] to our rock side and one album to our folk side. There's gonna be themes that relate between the two but the songs and the instruments are gonna be different," said bassist Derek Arbour. "We're not using any distortion on the next one but we have a lot of distortion on this one. We're really happy with the way it turned out."

The "next one" Arbour refers to is a companion disc, titled Handshakes, for which the band anticipates a spring release. Originally planned on being a double-CD release, the band eventually chose to release the two separately when, as Arbour explained, "it grew and grew and grew until they were too big, it just overwhelmed everybody. But there will be links between the two."

"It'll probably be a bit slower and not as loud [as Monsters]," he added.

Until then, audiences have plenty to digest with Monsters. Though each track is relatively compact, there is a plethora of activity in each. For example, the album's second track, "Like a Curse," picks up where "Doomsday" dropped off, pairing flutes and schizophrenic heavy guitar distortion with ethereal feminine howls that sound like winds weighed down by the souls of the wronged.

Meanwhile, Hartman's lyrical touch is highlighted on "Handshakes" with lines like, "You're a rich man's son, so be a good boy now, and give this word of advice to your friends, if you shake his hand - Everything that he is, is in your skin."

"It's not so much political as it is about the changes in people when they come into a position of power or greed. Handshakes [the forthcoming album] is about the actual process of that and Monsters is what the people become afterwards," explained Hartman.

Yet Monsters feels like a traipse through an unfamiliar wood which eventually comes upon a cemetery forgotten by all but one. Here, the heartfelt dirge known as "Sleep" lies. Within it, the album's most orchestrated offering, Cohen's relatively monotone delivery is offset by Sarah Daugherty's divine yet melancholy backing vocals.

"It actually was about my dad passing away," Hartman began. "We were recording that song - I had written it the night before - and as we were recording, one of our best friends' moms passed away due to heart failure. We dedicate that song to her."

In a way, this scenario itself is representative of the album's dynamic sound. Monsters might begin with heavy and almost gothic tones, but as it progresses, picks up more and more meaning and character than could have been predicted at the journey's outset.

And from the sounds of it, this is exactly the path that Cohen & the Ghost, as a band, are on. Lucky us.

Monsters ($10) is available at myspace.com/cohenandtheghost and at the band's live shows (next up: Dec. 17 at the Varsity).

Originally Published: Issue 825 - December 2, 2009

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