Ben Kweller, a Texas born signer/songwriter, established his place in the world of pop music years ago. When most young adolescents were fighting acne or getting their driver’s license, he was starting his musical journey. He headed the garage-pop band Radish. The three-piece, pegged as the next Nirvana, rocketed to the public’s attention after a barrage of media and industry hype; the same hype that eventually turned against them. They released one full-length and embarked on tours that saw the teenagers traveling the country and Europe; all this at the cherubic age of 15. The “next big thing” became a victim of its own manufactured hype and eventually called it quits. As Kweller explains, “Although I was only 15 and just a kid, I didn’t want to be considered a novelty act or a flavor of the month. I wanted people to take me seriously. I knew that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”
Following in the footsteps of nearly every high school graduate, Kweller decided it was time to get on with his life and move out. He moved to Connecticut with his girlfriend and ultimately ended up in New York.
“New York is an amazing city. It can be very overwhelming unless you make what you want of it,” said Kweller, in a cab crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. While trying to harness all the new city had to offer, he put together the pieces for his debut solo release, “Sha Sha” on ATO Records.
Released to great reviews and fanfare from critics and friends such as Evan Dando, it was a record layered thickly in crunchy, soft-to-loud Nirvana-esque guitar riffs, combined with harmonious melody and quirky sing-a-long songs that reflect his pop influences. On “Wasted and Ready” he sings, “She goes above and beyond her call of duty, she is a slut but X thinks it’s sexy / Sex reminds her of eating spaghetti / I am wasted but ready.”
Listening to Kweller’s lastest release, “On My Way,” one can tell he has taken a step closer to achieving an individual quality in his songwriting. “I can’t believe how many people are excited and want to talk about the record. It’s wonderful,” chimed a slightly exhausted Kweller. He is currently on a 43-date co-headlining tour with Death Cab for Cutie.
This new album is chock full of wonderful pop hooks, concise melodies and colorful wordplay. Kweller likens the feel of the record to living in a city that is one of the most amazing places in the world—whereas his previous release was inspired by a young man’s desire to leave small town living behind and head to the big city with a suitcase full of ambition. “On My Way” finds him doing just that, living in the big city and documenting his experiences for our ears. “New York City is such a colorful world that is filled with colorful surroundings... from the grit on the subway trains to the dirt on the city streets.”
“My Apartment” is a quirky pop song that finds solace from the unknown within four walls; “My apartment, the home where I hide / away from all the darkness outside / I’m there all the time.” The lead track, “I Need You Back,” captures a raw, live approach that makes itself very apparent on this record. The sonic feel of this release is not just a beautiful mistake. It’s a sound that has been looming in Kweller’s subconscious for years. “I remember listening to my parents’ records growing up—Buddy Holly, the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Carole King—and recalling how real they sounded. This was an aesthetic I wanted to strive for on the new record.”
The wonderfully real sound captured on this record is the result of a gunshot, three-week recording process. “I just wanted the songs to be fresh and not over-rehearsed.” Producer Ethan Johns, who, according to Kweller, “is the go-to man for a Polaroid history of rock and roll,” headed up the sessions and placed emphasis on the band’s performance. The band recorded all the instruments together, in one room, without the use of headphones and with minimal separation. This unique technique and sound quality is rarely heard of in today’s overly polished radio-friendly music, which Ben hopes does not have an adverse affect on the listener’s initial reaction. “In today’s predisposed world of pop music, listeners are no longer subject to challenge or change. If anything sounds a bit dull or too live, they think something is wrong with the recording,” laments Kweller. “That’s the problem with so few people owning so many radio stations.”
One of the more impressive accomplishments on this release is the title track “On My Way.” The song, strewn together with beautiful melodies and a vocal delivery that exposes the vulnerability of such a young soul, appears to be a metaphorical timeline of this young man’s career; one that was tarnished at a young age by the backlash of the underbelly of corporate music. He sings, “Aw mom / I never thought I was a murdering man / but tonight I’m on my way.” As the song travels through the humiliation of being a thief to becoming a listener and a friend, ending with the actuality of love, he continues, “Aw mom / I never thought that I could love not one / but tonight I’m on my way.” It becomes ever apparent that the man in the song is becoming comfortable with where life is leading him.
“This is the song I am most proud of on the record. It is my favorite. I don’t want it to sound like it’s some sort of arrogant claim, that ‘ohhh, Ben’s on his way’. I think it is a song that everyone can relate to. We are all on our way; be it to work or to a party or to murdering a man, we’re all going somewhere.”
Whether the album title has any relevance to the direction his career is heading is in his hands, but one cannot deny the growth his songwriting ability has achieved. Ben Kweller is discovering more color with every new line he writes.
Ben Kweller and Death Cab for Cutie perform live at Portland’s Crystal Ballroom May 5, and at Seattle’s Showbox May 6, 7 and 8.
|
