Hello, so what do you want to know? I'm a northerner living in London, because that's where it's su...
Hello, so what do you want to know? I'm a northerner living in London, because that's where it's supposedly all happening. I enjoy music, comedy and going out to gigs in my spare time.
Member since:05.12.2000
Reviews:33
Members who trust:27
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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Mar 7th, 2001
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