Ben Lee on NYC
Australian singer-songwriter Ben Lee recently contributed some posts to Lost At E Minor on some of his favourite cultural things and people. We checked in with him to see what sort of head-space he’s been in the time since the release of his latest album, Ripe. It’s been quite a journey from the young Ben Lee of Noise Addict fame to the more at peace Ben Lee with an acoustic guitar and a headful of soulful melodies. How do you look back on your younger self? ‘I was very eager, very earnest, and very honest. I was also pretty hectic. I look back on those days fondly, but I’m really glad I’m no longer there!’ You lived in New York for some time. Fond memories? And where do you escape to in the city for some quiet inspiration? ‘I loved living in New York. I will probably live there again at some point. I moved there when I was 19 and wanted to meet crazy, creative people. I wanted to feel free. New York did the trick. But you have to know how to get quiet to really survive that place. As for places to hang out at, I recommend the Meteor Room at The Museum of Natural History, and Central Park’. On your blog you’ve done acoustic versions of the entire Against Me album. Tell us how that went down. ‘Sometimes when I become a huge fan of something, I don’t just want to passively listen to it, I want to experience it from the inside. That’s what happened with the Against Me album. I really connected with it’. Ripe — a handful of beautiful songs ready for the picking? A piece of fruit, juicy and succulent? What’s your take on the new album in the context of the album title? ‘Enjoying the patience required to get to consummation. The joy of desire. The thrill of correct timing. Everything is fleeting, but a moment that is fully experienced is eternal. What a ride!’ [read a review of Ben Lee's album, Ripe, and watch the clip to his song, Love Me Like The World Is Ending]
Listen to the Ben Lee track, Numb.
Tagged: acoustic music, Australian bands, Australian songwriters, New York, pop music
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I saw Norwegian duo Kings of Convenience play the other week in New York. As a long time fan of the group, this was a much anticipated show. And while I was a little disappointed that they opened the set playing their entire new album — Declaration of Dependence — from beginning to end (which no one had been able to hear yet), and not any of their earlier material, there were some truly beautiful songs amongst it all that have quickly become oft-repeated favorites. At the top of that list is this typically wistful and melancholic track, 24-25.
Findlay Brown’s Love You Will Find You
A former bare-knuckle boxer from Yorkshire, England (for real), Findlay Brown was heralded by many as the UK’s answer to Jose Gonzales when his debut album, Separated By The Sea, was released on Peacefrog Records in 2007. Love Will Find You moves beyond his earlier folk sound to a more ambitious — and soulful — place. Produced by Bernard Butler (Suede), the album features songs that are lush and intimate, influenced as much by Phil Spector and Ennio Morricone as by Roy Orbison or The Beatles. The album came together while Brown was stuck on his sister’s couch nursing a broken leg, having been run over by a cab driver: ‘I’d already started going back and listening to a lot of records I’d grown up on, like Elvis Presley, soul music, doo wop, Phil Spector, The Righteous Brothers and the like. I had an idea about making a modern record influenced by the songwriting of the late 50s and early 60s. I just started writing, trying to work out what made a universally great song, like Stand By Me. These new songs are the first part of that process’. You can download his new single, Holding Back The Night, for free in our Music Download section.
The music behind the new Howling Bells album, Radio Wars
The last time I caught up with London-based, Australian band, Howling Bells, was in New York in early 2007 when they played a show at one of the many seedy Lower East Side bars. Since then, they’ve recorded a new album, the aptly named Radio Wars [listen to their song, Treasure Hunt, below], a remarkable follow-up to their 2006 self-titled debut. I checked in with guitarist Joel Stein to find out what music the four-piece had been listening to around the time the album was written: ‘The Byrds’ Eight Miles High always sounds so futuristic to me. It has one of the best guitar sounds ever and really moves me with its color and power. Every time I hear the Tortoise track, I Set My Face to the Hillside, I instantly get transported to the ocean. Beautiful! Joy Division’s Isolation is incredible. I love the intro keyboard riff, in particular (the keyboard was self-built). It expresses urgency and truth. And then there’s Neu!’s Hallogallo, a truly inspiring instrumental track that I always want to go on for longer. Its fuzzy guitars are so warm and vibrant. Perfect!’ Read frontwoman Juanita Stein’s Playlist of inspiring songs.
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