Oshir Cohen's new wedding song almost became a gimmick. Here is what saved it
In "August Dump", the successful singer's new EP, the surprises come precisely from the fun songs. Among them, "The Bride of the Country" stands out, which almost drowned in the trend of wedding songs, but was saved by a fun retro-pop production that skips between Static and Ben-El and Stevie Wonder.
Two types of moods characterize "August Dump 26", the new EP by Oshir Cohen: it opens with "Down" and ends with "Flower", which represent the sad wing, but in the middle it lifts the mood with "Birthday" and "The Bride of the Country". Usually, Cohen tends to thrive more in the melancholic genre, where he manages to combine honest writing, catchy melodies, and a strong voice into the momentum that made him the unexpected stadium star of Israeli pop music. "Everyone is a Thief", one of the biggest hits of the past Hebrew year, is proof of that.
However, this time, there is a turnaround: it is precisely the two smiling songs that take the lead. The symbol of their grace is the use of wind instruments, not exactly a mandatory ingredient in Cohen's formula, but now a positive addition that testifies that the "Dump" is not just a reflex of a superstar who gets bored quickly, but a documentation of trial and error that can be shared with the audience. In this case, the bet paid off quite well: Cohen manages to sound in love and happy with all his heart but without flooding the ears with unreasonable amounts of "radioactive sugar".
Obviously, a song called "The Bride of the Country" sounds like a double gimmick: both a new product in the saturated market of wedding songs and an exploitation of the media interest in Cohen's marriage to the model and presenter Eden Pines. But the sweet melody, the retro-pop production in the style of "Gold" by Static and Ben-El Tavori, and a C-part that is a lively, Stevie Wonder-esque outburst, provide a good reason to lower the walls of cynicism and participate in the joy of the groom, his bride, and their accountants. "Birthday" can also work excellently at an event, but even here Cohen managed to cover the marketing core with a good groove, Justin Bieber meets Bruno Mars. The only drawback: a too-long guitar solo.
It should be noted that "Down", which opens the mini-album, although it describes a depressing situation, musically does not get sucked into black holes, and there too the wind instruments play a role. Perhaps that is why it is a bit harder to open up to it: the gap between the relative lightness of the melody and the distress of the text and delivery distances Cohen from the source of his power: an almost cinematic persuasiveness in scenes from the couple's life. In the closing song, "Flower" (written together with Eden Hason), the relationship between the text and the music works a bit better, mainly thanks to a chorus that would appeal to even Aviv Geffen.
Assuming there won't be more "dumps" until the holidays, Cohen's August 26 harvest faithfully summarizes a year in which he maintained his status at the top of pop but at the same time understood deeply what it means to be one of the most famous people in the country: ups and downs, snakes and ladders. One day you are a headline because of a suspicion of drug possession and then everyone knows exactly how many roses were at your wedding (40 thousand, for those who missed it). The next stage should be that the challenging side of Cohen's quite interesting life also enters the songs: if indeed "everyone is a thief", it is likely that Cohen also feels that way sometimes when he looks in the mirror.
