Shades of Dorian Gray

Cohen has been mentioned in the same breath as everyone from Tom Waits, Vic Chesnut, and Jad Fair to Daniel Johnston and the Residents. Danny, a one-time cohort of Captain Beefheart, has stepped up the arrangements on his latest release. Mellotrons, horns, organs, and lap steel adorn these sixteen songs full of riotous images and indelible hooks, sounding positively Wilson-esque. Shades is the musical equivalent of an accomplished painting. Equally cerebral and serendipitous, Cohen's third album on Anti is an eclectic song cycle that thrives, informs, and rewards with each successive listen.