If anyone can turn Stephen Hawking's bestselling book, "A Brief History of Time", into a musical opus, it is Alan Cohen. Undertaking a project as innovative as this could only be pulled off by one of pop's most offbeat artists. Each song on "Space and Time" was inspired by a chapter in Hawking's masterpiece - this even includes quotes from JFK and Hawking himself as an introduction and conclusion, respectively. Highlights include the catchy "Uncertainty Principle", the hauntingly infectious ballad "Black Hole", and the charming lullaby "Dreaming".
Alan Cohen, a genuine one-man band, is by far and away one of the most original artists out there today. And when I say out there, I mean "out there" - otherworldly! Putting on a record by the Alan Cohen Experience is always an adventure and "Space and Time" is no exception. But "Space and Time" does more, reminding us of our Physics 101 with songs revolving around Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, Einstein's Theory of Relativity, and the complex inner-workings of the atom. You can't help but to walk away from "Space and Time" without a feeling of humility and a deeper appreciation of the vast unknown that lies beyond our naked eye universe.
Alan Cohen Experience has released a remarkably fresh album that dares to be different but strives to remain musically accessible. "Space and Time" should be adored by physicists just as quirky as Alan Cohen, but is it anything more than a space oddity to the rest of us? Only time will tell...
Alan Cohen Experience on MySpace. Official site.
Here are two free mp3s for your listening pleasure:
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