Tim Cohen
's
Luck Man
marks the first album in six years under the prolific San Francisco songman's own name. It's also his debut on the
Sinderlyn
label. Like the output of his concurrent bands
the Fresh & Onlys
and
Magic Trick
,
Cohen
's solo albums have become a little more mature and a little less steeped in '60 garage over time, but his sound is still respectably loose. His affection for psychedelic pop persists, as is evident from the opening track, "Walk About a Window," with an arrangement colored by organ and hazy harmonies. There are some '80s references here, too, at least in subject matter, with tracks called "Meat Is Murder" and "John Hughes" ("I saw The Breakfast Club and fell in love with the one idea: how can we act alone, even when we are young?"). The former is not a
Smiths
cover, but rather an original post-punk lament that was reportedly inspired by past work as a delivery driver. The album is guided by an easygoing trippiness, though, exemplified by "Sunshine," a melodic, meandering love song that slides through musical modes while lyrics play with the atemporal nature of memory. Similarly philosophical -- and affectionate -- "Irony" suggests that love can combat cynicism ("Irony is the last bastion of a fool who only knows the first meaning of the word"). "Breathe and Die" decides to notice the beauty all around while acknowledging an existential dread. Throughout,
ponders life with a sort of make-do attitude that's reflected in partly cloudy melodies and a tonal palette that exhibits a restrained sweetness that leans into wistfulness. He's joined by a full band until the closing title track, so while
plays well as a singer/songwriter type of album, fans can expect it to fit pretty seamlessly alongside recent releases by his bands, particularly
. ~ Marcy Donelson