I haven't really listened to it yet, but thought you all would interested in it.
That's the big news; now here's the story:
As anyone keeping a watchful eye on me has noticed, October came and went without the release of "Kicking at the Perfumed Air." The reason for this: In the final stages of completing "Kicking at the Perfumed Air," at Pieholden Suite Sound (http://www.myspace.com/pieholdenstudios), I was simultaneously working on a very personal and concise 10-song album called "Whatever Happened I Apologize." After debating back and forth, I have decided to release "Apologize" first. I am somewhat at a loss for words as to explain why I arrived at this decision, save to say it's just one of those lonely and private choices one sometimes has to make in other words, it just felt more like the right album for the time.
It is stark, stripped down, and acoustic based more so than any other record I have made. I really wanted to capture the simpler and more emotional nature of the songwriting, and I knew that the only way I could do this was to put it together quickly, with no second-guessing, and no heavy deliberating about minor details. Consequently I would have to learn to embrace the resultant imperfections and I have. All of the vocals are done live to my own acoustic guitar accompaniment, so it has some warts, but, in my effort to not forsake integrity for technical perfection, the album ended up feeling more honest, immediate, naked, and cohesive to me. I am very proud of presenting myself without my typical voluminous bells and whistles. I am left wondering why I haven't done this more often in the past.
As I've really wanted to help out my studio partner, Matt DeWine, and his partner Casey Meehan, with their new download record label, rockproper, that's just where you can find this new album: http://www.rockproper.com. Again, it's called "Whatever Happened I Apologize," and did I mention it's free? I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know what you think. I would also like to encourage you all to check out some of the other free downloads, by some of the great artists, available on the site.
Love,
Jay
http://www.myspace.com/jaybennett
I don't know a lot about Her Space Holiday other than I like their previous record, The Past Presents The Future. So, I bought their newest album. It's great. I hope you like it too. Enjoy.
Until recently, if someone asked me about Nada Surf, I would've replied, "you mean that one-hit-wonder? Didn't they do that song Popular? Yeah, I remember when that song was big, I was in high school. Wait...they're still making music?"Nada Surf enjoyed a buzz-bin moment in 1996 with the high school satire "Popular," and while the extremely groovy guitar ripples stuck in your head long after the joke was over, it wasn't the kind of hit that suggests a long-term career, as Harvey Danger or the Primitive Radio Gods would be happy to explain to you. So the New York guitar-rock trio hit the indie trail to earn its cred the hard way, and after the Weezer-like introspection of 2000's startlingly great The Proximity Effect, Nada Surf get it all together on Let Go, the band's best by a mile. Let Go is an excellent rainy-afternoon album, full of gentle and melancholic beauty, with echoes of Love and the Beach Boys. In "Blizzard of '77," "Blonde on Blonde" and "The Way You Wear Your Head," Nada Surf show enough smarts and panache to leave most of their Nineties-rock peers eating hot dust.
After numerous solo releases and pseudo-official compilations, the Doomtree collective has released their first official full length album. Self titled, this album features the best of the Twin Cities underground punk and hip-hop scene. If you are a fan of Atmosphere or P.O.S., then check this out.
Here is another album from the late 60's early 70's. The Pretty Things, Parachute was named "Album of the Year" in 1970 by Rolling Stone Magazine. It beat out: Let it Be by the Beatles, Layla by Derek and the Dominoes, Morrison Hotel by the Doors, Pearl by Janis Joplin, After the Gold Rush by Neil Young, Moondance by Van Morrison, and Bridge over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel. The melodies and guitar work are excellent. Give it a listen and tell me what you think.
Tomorrow was an underrated '60s psych-pop band that was a cross between Barrett-era Floyd and the Beatles Revolver period. With quirky English characters, backwards tapes, Eastern modalities, baroque keyboard touches, and trippy british lyrics, it is vintage psychedelia. Tomorrow had some well known musicians: John Adler (The Pretty Things), Steve Howe (Yes), and Keith West. Tomorrow never really made it big. This is their one and only album.
The new album is now posted. There is a good review on the TIMESONLINE site.
New Ben songs leaked, by somebody, maybe Ben himself. There are songs with the same names of the new songs that he played live this year, but they are different songs. There are other new songs. There are songs that aren't on the album. There are possibly real songs.
That's it. Everybody is speculating. The only truth right now is that 9 songs that are definitely Ben were leaked.
