Brother I Prove You Wrong is the first release of new compositions by Philadelphia-based composer
Charles Cohen since Morphine Records began unearthing his vast archive of works dating back to the 1970s, releasing three LPs in 2013 and compiling them all onto a double CD in 2014. It's not hard to see how the experimental techno label became drawn to
Cohen's music, as his playful synth explorations and machine rhythms seem to directly prefigure the recordings of many of the label's artists, including
Hieroglyphic Being,
Container, Madteo, and Metasplice. Even though this album's nine compositions were all produced during a single month in 2014, they have the same timeless quality of his works recorded decades earlier, and could easily have been recorded during the '70s or '80s, making it seem like he's essentially picking up right where he left off. Tracks such as "Cloud Hands" burst with colorful clusters of tweeting synths, while "Sacred Mountain" has an entrancing rhythm which is disguised in dirty, fluttering feedback on its immediate extended reprise "Visitors of the Sacred Mountain." "Beirut" has quirky, bubbling synth tones and a driving bass rhythm, while "Cold War II" goes in a darker direction, sounding like industrial techno emanating from the bottom of the ocean.
Retrospective is a much better place to start for those unfamiliar with
Cohen, but
Brother I Prove You Wrong is still a fascinating listen for those interested in digging deeper. ~ Paul Simpson