“Catman” Cohen
The Catman Chronicles 1: How I Want To Die
Keevay Music
It’s an interesting mixture: ethereal female vocals over a vaguely new age sound layer, covered with gritty street lyrics and a gravelly voice back-up. The press release for this disc is incredibly mystical and after a few paragraphs one wonders if a face-to-face meeting with “Catman” would be anything other than seriously weird. Mr. “Catman” Cohen uses what he calls the “Yahweh Chord,” which is sort of a D7 with a lot of baggage. What he gets from this chord and some talented back-up is a creepy, yet full sound with a definite ’80s lounge feel. The lyrics show this is not about love and blow, but murder and senseless death in the streets. There’s a 9-11 angle as well, and if you put this on as background for a party you might not notice the message. It’s not exactly subliminal, but it’s tricky and not a bad job. I’d almost like to see a ’90s digital animation backdrop for the music.
“Catman” Cohen: http://www.catmancohen.com
