Though the youngsters out there will probably not be familiar with the name Alice Cohen, those of us who have been smoldering around for awhile will surely recall her days fronting The Vels in the ’80s. After seeing some MTV airplay, The Vels disbanded and Cohen moved onto Die Monster Die. Though Die Monster Die never saw any commercial success, they donated a couple great independent releases in the ’90s and became a staple in the NY noise-rock scene.
In more recent years, Cohen has performed solo and also moved forward with her visual art with animations, collages, and paintings. Amazingly, while taking on so many avenues of art in her life, she’s found time to pen her fourth album in five years, Pink Keys.
A very colorful vision, this album finds Cohen using her musical canvas to deliver a listen with a lot of emphasis on the keys and synth. Pink Keys will make you wonder what decade you’re in, as the tracks move by with a vintage feel. The opener “Cascading Keys” takes a direct line to the ’80s, with endless melodies in tow. A couple of instrumentals are included: “The Locksmith” utilizes creative looping, while “The Lacemaker” is a calm affair that looks toward the East for influences. “Salamander’s Tale” might be the best song to exemplify Cohen’s style – laid back with electric pianos, but with some eclectic influences, time nearing a jazz-like feeling. The disc closes on “The Atmosphere Of The Sea,” an ambient, dreamy tune that shows Cohen’s penchant for soothing, sweeping balladry.
Amazingly, Cohen plays nearly every instrument here (and there are many) and recorded this in her home. Always an innovator, this comes off as sum total of all of Cohen’s work into one artistic vision, with emphasis on her ’70s disc roots and New Wave work in the ’80s. It’s pretty safe to assume that Cohen will always be involved with something creative, and this time she has opted for her outlet to be this highly engaging electronic music gem.
