Ill send you a postscript

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By Lane Schwartz - November 14, 2014!
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ILL SEND YOU A POSTSCRIPT - LANE SCHWARTZ

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As the train departs from Trenton Train Station at 9:30 P.M., there isn't an inch of
doubt what is on my mind after stuffing my i-pod inside my briefcase. Ryan Cohen's
newly released album, postscript. Perhaps, that's the effect an album can have on a
human being if they listen to it long enough. Maybe, it's all of those evening and
nightly drives listening to this album that rubbed off on me. A riveting feeling and look
back at the past, present, and the future. This CD truly had my mind spinning in a way
that I never ever felt before. From the profundity of his lyrics to the variety of melodic
musical brilliance behind it. Evoking a sound too unique and high-quality for the
average musical ear. postscript is like the sharp provolone oozing out of your favorite
cheesesteak joint. It's not the sheen off of those Egyptian cotton pillow cases. No, this
album is the full satin set. Each song having you thirst for more as I drive back to
Philadelphia and than decide to take a couple more detours one suburb after another.
Now, I have no clue where I am. Dark roads and dim lights as I press play once again.
On this night, the sky is bright due to the litany of stars illuminating and magnifying
the entire vibe, ambiance, utter feel, and even compressed spaces between each
compartment of my car. So, let's dive into and look at this imaginary, dreamy, once-ina-lifetime musical moments in time right now and look into the kaleidoscope of this
masterpiece called postscript.

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Ryan Cohen follows in the footsteps of nobody, except the body of his piano and
guitar. Track one, Paper Airplanes, is the first jovial proclamation of his work. The
bottom line here is that it's a feel-good song that takes the sad out of saddening making
the happy even happier. Dominated by strong vocals, beautiful piano playing and
terrifically precise acoustic guitar sounds sets up the relaxed ambience and overall mood
for this album. In my opinion, the delicate beat throughout the song is perfectly
accurate, especially when you're only 34 seconds into the song and it stays consistent
until the end. To be honest, before listening to this song I was feeling dejected and my
ILL SEND YOU A POSTSCRIPT - LANE SCHWARTZ

Starbucks coffee with double espresso wasn't cutting it. Paper Airplanes instantly
made me feel this sense of comfort and happiness. Maybe Cohen was using a very cool
abalone vintage guitar because he made the strings on his sucker sing as well as making
my day shine. The title of Cohen's second song really says it all, I'll Give You A Heart
That Will Never Break. This particular song, in my opinion, is about a genuinely
loving and compassionate man that will do anything for the woman that he loves. This
song can be interpreted in several ways depending on the individual, but not me. When
you love someone, you will do anything for that person and go the extra mile, regardless
of what it takes. And perhaps, even let that person go if it means they'll be happier.
Cohen writes, I'm the one who loves you now / and I will be coming around / to bring
you all those little things / the things that you can't do without. Later in the song,
Cohen writes, I will build you wings you could fly away. So, you can see why my
friend pointed to that line wondering if it meant letting her go. I said, No and I'm 100%
sure! The raw beauty of writing songs and overall music-making is all of the obvious,
idiosyncrasies, and all of the unexpected that go into it.

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Ryan Cohen's first album, under the lilac sky, a rare, exquisite and deluxe fullbodied instrumental ingenious piece of work deserves particular note. Mainly, because
it shows his phenomenal range and more importantly, describes why he's not afraid to
take risks in his next six songs subtracting track 6, wintersleep, by far, the best
instrumental I've ever heard in any musical circle and genre including hip-hop. The
postscript set the 9-song album accompanied by the very popular instrumental
wintersleep, again, insinuated in there at track 6, creatively breaks up the album so
you can reflect, think, and than move forward. I'm zoning out again mostly to Cohen's
indie-meets-uncommon-singer-songwriter crafty style similar to the likes of Wilco,
Ryan Adams, and Coldplay. Across Idaho, where a little bit of country twang blows
in the cold Idaho wind (with what seems to be paying homage to the eight constants of
change) paying close attention to being in love in a state literally and technically known
ILL SEND YOU A POSTSCRIPT - LANE SCHWARTZ

for winning the love-game. This really is a brilliant tug-of-war over what the true
definition of love and commitment is all about! The loose childhood fantasy The
Hummingbird, lovingly gorgeous Evangeline, and delicate heartwarming Tracing
The Stars solidifies the different ways love affects the mood (up, down, and that entire
gray area in between), but most of the rest of the album continues squarely in the singersongwriter modern-rock-style-phase with an uncommon zeal and deep substance that
only Cohen's magical lyrics can provide sparking a sneaky rich sound with a soft twist.
He's just a different cat that separates himself from the pack of wolves. In all of these
songs, Cohen effortlessly sings, but with his innate musical skills and tireless work
ethic, he's a modern day Paul McCartney. I can't stand the word "unique" because it's so
overused, but he's so damn unique! Go ahead and laugh! Call my bluff . . . it's true
(listen to Julia, disc 1, track 17 on The Beatles The White Album). Then, please, listen
to Evangeline. In this muddled rock-age we live in today that's another beautiful
thing; When It All Goes Dark, next to last song and No One Else Exists, sound far
from recorded and the variety of instruments and background vocals hold up well
aging like fine wine, as the euphonious delicate sounds become more intricate as the
songs near an end. Cohen really reminds me of a silver combination platter exuding
and resembling the sounds of Elliot Smith, John McCrea's Mod/Alt-rockers band Cake,
Explosions In The Sky and than sprinkle in some early to modern-day Radiohead with
the boundless work-ethic of McCartney and Springsteen. Now, that's truly sitting and
standing with the Mount Everest of company! Cohen cleverly is a bit Pink Floyd-ish
meets not surprisingly Explosions In The Sky at the end of No One Else Exists, which
you never want to end! Harvesting these sounds as he throws his inhibitions to the wind
unleashing his blood, sweat, tears and life pouring his soul into every rift, into every
instrument he touches is really purely magical to this quite masterful ending. This quite
astonishing album as a whole is divine greatness elite, sexy, and bold with a deepness
beyond description. This is scary top-billing. The LeBron James of today's water-down

ILL SEND YOU A POSTSCRIPT - LANE SCHWARTZ

and cluttered rock circuit! The design of this album is extremely imaginative as well as
brilliant too (but I'm not giving that away, so just imagine flying away) It's so RYAN
COHEN . . .

I'm in the car again out for another drive except it's 5:30 A.M. and I'm pressing
play heading to the unknown. It's the end of October and I'm thirsty for more as I pass
by sugar maple and sweetgum trees filled with yellow, orange, red and deep purple
leaves. Embarking on a peaceful and quiet ride until I smell sand staring at the waves
that delicately echo from the edge of the sea. P.S. I'll send you a postscript . . .

ILL SEND YOU A POSTSCRIPT - LANE SCHWARTZ