CHRIS COHEN ‘AS IF APART (10TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE)’
‘As If Apart’ is Chris Cohen’s sophomore solo album, a dreamy and complex follow up to his 2012 debut, ‘Overgrown Path.’
This deluxe includes recordings of “As If Apart” & “In a Fable” Live at Cafe Oto in London, and a demo version of “Drink from a Silver Cup.”
Of the album, Chris said, ““As If Apart” is from the time when we moved back to LA from Vermont. The title came from a poem by Andrew Maxwell…. I remember spending my recording advance on soundproofing and a window unit A/C for the garage where I recorded it, and on rent. I worked odd jobs and spent about two years making the music. When I think of the record, I think of brutal LA summers… endlessly re-working the title track on piano in our dark, hot living room…
Taking the gold line from Mission St to Cypress Park station every day to go to my studio, which you can see in the video for “Yesterday’s On My Mind” by Kate Dollenmayer… Anthony Atlas made the cover art… We took inspiration from Larry Rivers’ book illustrations and a handmade sign from a hairdresser’s window… I remember neighborhood night walks in the hills above South Pasadena.. Taking pictures of my shadow to send Anthony for the album cover… Greg Saunier came to our house to master the record.”
Listen: ‘As If Apart (10th Anniversary Deluxe)’
Chris continues, “Afterwards I wasn’t sure if I really liked the album… Greg came up with a new song order… It was a lot of difficult and frustrating work and I was pretty burned out by the end, but then forming a new band in LA and playing shows I came to appreciate these songs and how the record was a piece of my life. I feel very grateful that I was able to do something like that. Joe McMurray’s photo of our house that was on the back cover really captures my world at that time.”
Pitchfork said, “As If Apart trades the optimism, existential wonder, and woozy jangle of Overgrown Path in for heartbreak” and called it, “a powerful, exquisitely realized journey.”
This deluxe album, including the three additional recordings, is out now.