Magic Trick

iTunes Review

With 2011’s Magic Trick, The Fresh & Onlys’ frontman makes another solo album with a sonic taste that’s just different enough from his bread and butter to warrant branching off. Where The Fresh & Onlys excel at filling up space with rich retro tones, Tim Cohen’s solo songs make good use of restraint for memorable and less busy tunes. “I Am Never Going to Die” is a simply architected song contrasted with complex inward lyrics, setting the tone for an album that muses heavily on mortality and lovelorn themes of loss. Tastefully sequenced beats on “New House in Heaven” leave plenty of room for sweet female backing vocals that decorate much of Magic Trick like an edible garnish. Rather than take a predictably psychedelic folk approach to “The Flower,” Cohen’s productions recall the '60s countrypolitan style of vintage Nashville, where heavenly harmonies help the tune blossom like an old Conway Twitty single. “Don’t Give Up” was built with a bygone Brill Building pop foundation, but Cohen’s darkened melodies and weathered voice keep it from tasting like warmed-up leftovers.