Hello - Ben & Jason

You probably haven’t heard of Ben and Jason. You may have heard of Martine McCutcheon for whom they have written songs for (see her credits - Hazeley and Parker). With the current music press' pre-occupation with the New Acoustic Movement; bands such as Travis, Coldplay and David Gray being given unbelievable hype, I thought I would review one of my favourite albums from the past couple of years.

I came across Ben and Jason supporting ...
...David Gray (not apparently a pleasant experience for them). This short album is worth digging out from the sales and bargain bins because, like Coldplay they write beautiful melodies and have a good ear for a catchy yet simple tune.

Ben’s voice has qualities which remind me of Thom Yorke's or Nick Drakes’. He doesn’t sound as "tortured", which is probably a good thing, because, I think, there are enough tortured souls singing ... more

You probably haven’t heard of Ben and Jason. You may have heard of Martine McCutcheon for whom they have written songs for (see her credits - Hazeley and Parker). With the current music press' pre-occupation with the New Acoustic Movement; bands such as Travis, Coldplay and David Gray being given unbelievable hype, I thought I would review one of my favourite albums from the past couple of years.

I came across Ben and Jason supporting Elliot Smith in Manchester in 1999, and then later supporting David Gray (not apparently a pleasant experience for them). This short album is worth digging out from the sales and bargain bins because, like Coldplay they write beautiful melodies and have a good ear for a catchy yet simple tune.

Ben’s voice has qualities which remind me of Thom Yorke's or Nick Drakes’. He doesn’t sound as "tortured", which is probably a good thing, because, I think, there are enough tortured souls singing out there already. A friend of mine commented on them sounding like Crowded House, which he tried to do as an insult. But that is exactly what I like about them.

There are only 8 tracks on this album, it’s difficult to pick out stand-out tracks, just simply because all 8 are so good. There are no fillers.

"Joe’s Ark" and "Adam and Lorraine" are pure acoustic pop, if there is such a thing. "Adam and Lorraine" having something I love, a fantastic lyrical opener: "Someone sent a purple ronnie."

"Thank you for laughing" starts off slow and sombre, and then after a minute of thank you’s to choking etc, comes this sing along "ditty" of a chorus, which is as catchy as a children’s nursery rhyme. "This is our song" is their "yellow" or "spies"

If you like any of the artist I’ve mentioned in this review, please consider B&Js mini album next time you are in a record shop. Equally good is their second album, though at nearly twice the length, there are a couple of below par tracks. Their third should be out sometime after the spring.
 

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