Bruce Cohen took a different approach with his new album, 8 BC. Specifically, no drums, percussion, or the traditional dance tracks put forward on his previous BC albums. Using just two synths make 8 BC an ambient venture with the synths totally providing the rhythm and groove.
The album starts off with Velvet Teardrops, a name derived from the Velvet Underground and Suicide, both big influences on Cohen, with synths flowing in and out that fight each other in a big mash-up.
For Em Dee, a tribute to Miles Davis, a funky bass holds down the groove while synths wash over the sound.
Is That So has Cohen in a somber mood with sweeping synths playing a repeated melody.
Dance Of The Siren where the mythical creature dances to lure the listener in. A repeated keyboard riff, with a solo flute like sound, plays along.
Starry Night is a Van Gogh inspired aural painting with flighty synths blending into deep majestic melodies.
You travel through space with the track, Europa, Jupiter’s largest moon. Tangerine Dream style-like synths weave in, out, and around.
Cohen calls Suite For Ra, an ambient chamber piece dedicated to the master himself, Sun Ra. Horns, flutes, and strings blend into each other for melodic dirge.
Cohen was inspired by Greek mythology with Sisyphus At Home, composing synths that build and build on each other, like Sisyphus pushing the boulder up the hill, describing this piece as, “Eno on steroids.”
Far Away harks back to the Berlin School of electronic music, with rumbling synths bouncing off of each other, while a heavy undercurrent plays beneath it all.
With the last song, Blooze, Cohen utilized his young roots playing in a blues group, creating ambient blues where a sweeping drone supports a flute like synth, thereby playing a blues like solo. A fitting end to Cohen’s latest musical landscape.
With 8 BC Cohen meditates on life, making this his most personal album to date, using his synths to convey his vision. Relax and take an aural journey that is 8 BC.
∎ Tarock Music, 11/11/2024
