We move along with our Fun Fest interviews today with the great Dan Bejar and his musical project known as Destroyer. We’ve been following Dan for quite some time with his work in and out of Destroyer so we were excited that we could get some email questions in with him. Follow the jump to read the full interview.
Lately, we’ve seen more of Brendan Benson trading licks with that one guy from the White Stripes, but when he first came onto the scene, he was a pop crooner. His album Lapalco remains overlooked, despite all the gems it offers listeners. Now he returns with a new record, My Old, Familiar Friend. It’s a return to form, for the most part, though you can see the shift in his writing if you’re familiar with his work.
Opening the album, you see a glimmer of the Brendan of the past on “A Whole Lot Better.” His vocals start low, as they always go, and change to the higher tones mid-syllable. Even the lyrics seem to recall some of the old territory, but it’s the choruses that remind you of the old songwriter of yesterday. But, noticeably, the structure of the songs themselves have begun to change a bit, which is good, considering we all admire growth with our favorite artists.
“Eyes on the Horizon” is yet another example of his growth. It just seems that so much more is going on within the song, and while it may not be as clean as his previous output, you can glimpse the familiar, especially in the chorus. Perhaps the inclusion of guitar solos, of the classic rock sort, give away his most recent act The Raconteurs. It’s a more mature songwriter we find here, which explains a lot of the lyrical content, as the story line in the album seems to revolve around reflection of a lost love.
Just as you thought you had a collection of b-sides from The Raconteurs sessions, at least the ones Brendan wrote, he kicks it up a notch near the end of the album, starting with “Poised and Ready.” While he once sounded similar to the early Ben Kweller, he appears more like a rocking version of A.C. Newman. This second half of the record though is chock full of straight ahead pop rock songs of the most sublime sort. It’s the sort of stuff you know you’ll be singing along to during your days at work. The catchiness of “Don’t Wanna Talk” will surely have you and your friends singing along in your cars. From there you can slide right into “Misery,” which is probably one of the best songs that you’ll find here on the album. As far as song construction goes, it’s probably one of the more open songs, and the extra space allows for Brendan to work his magic for his audience.
Nothing on this album will blow you away with creativity, but if you’re the kind of person that cherishes solid pop rock to go along with a nice long drive, then you will definitely find something for yourself here. Brendan Benson has a quality voice that will keep you coming back for more, as he churns out pop gems with his crafty songwriting and vocal inflection.
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Download: Brendan Benson – Misery [MP3]
The majority of the listening world will know A.C. Newman by his other gig in New Pornographers. This new effort, released by Matador Records, isn’t far off from the land of his pop-supergroup, especially when one looks back at an album like Challengers.
From the minute “There are Maybe Ten or Twelve” takes off you can tell exactly the direction that this album is going to go. It’s a subdued number, with high volume interludes, but the focus remains predominantly on Newman’s voice.
An album such as this is blessed by such a voice, as his is one that remains truly unique in this modern age. He can go higher than most, while he brings it all back again to his normal singing voice. In all his recordings, this is clearly the best he has sounded, which may owe a lot to remarkable production.
Keeping that in mind, most will settle with this album, knowing that your expectations will be met precisely. Melodies will rise and fall, being matched at every corner, but, the pace isn’t exactly pushing listeners forward, looking for more from each song. In fact, the only song that picks up any speed is “The Palace at 4 A.M.” Still, you can sit through this album in it’s entirety with a great deal of enjoyment; it’s just not going to grab you like other tracks A.C. Newman has done in the past, especially those featuring a certain Destroyer. Be sure to get through until the end for “All of my Days & All of my Days Off” is probably one of the best songs he’s written in years.
All in all, you come to the end of the album with one clear realization: A.C. Newman can spit out pop genius no matter where he is in his life. Each song is interesting, in both melody and structure, as he often uses his voice to carry the songs, which is precisely where the whole album began. It’s not every day when you come across a musician who can win you over with his voice alone. And for that, we should all Get Guilty.
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Download: AC Newman – There Are Maybe Ten or Twelve [MP3]
©2010 Austin Town Hall, a venture of Paravel
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