Alejandro Cohen

‘Chamber of Tears’ marks the poignant debut offering from the Los Angeleno (by way of Buenos Aires) composer Alejandro Cohen under his own name. Here, the chameleon-like boatswain of arts and culture sheds the detuned mutant -funk of his former ensemble Pharaohs (100% Silk; ESP Institute), instead opting for a solo LP of high-minded melancholy, platonic playfulness, and sardonic sweetness. Presented across thirteen songs, ‘Chamber of Tears’ allows Cohen to act as some kind of sonic-farmer tilling and toiling the Earth, gently excavating deep-rooted melodies with an air of open-ended rusticism not far removed from the likes of Penguin Cafe Orchestra, or even Gastr del Sol. Gentle vignettes of guitars plucked and strummed often transcend into lush canopies of texture and unhurried contemplation. It is this dichotomy that makes ‘Chamber of Tears’ grandiose in its limitless exploration, yet tender in its sincere intimacy. ‘Chamber of Tears’ reveals that Cohen’s aural world is full of sunlight in spite of shadows in between.