Almonds, Cohen

Brock Edwards is trying his best to ensure that one of his musical endeavours bears fruit. And as part of bands It It and Colourbook, the 21-year-old from Victoria has been turning a few ears. But it looks more likely that his solo nom de plume, Almonds, Cohen, is going to be the one that keeps people talking, thanks to its classic approach to pop music. Amazing Grass is an understated album that periodically threatens to escape from the musical corner Edwards has painted himself into. There's no denying that there is a lot of charm on display, but the majority of the songs are pretty without being memorable and there aren't many tunes that stick in the listener's head. A few more hooks and he could emerge as a force to be reckoned with. The star of the show is the arrangements, which have a healthy dose of vocal harmonies and a mix of instruments that put him somewhere between the Beach Boys and Zumpano. But until he finds the last couple of pieces of the puzzle, Almonds, Cohen won't be anything more than just another pleasant pop artist lost amongst lots of other similarly-minded people.