Published on Nov 2, 2005
Brendan Benson doesn’t do anything the simple way.
That much is clear when you consider the career of a guy whose
previous two albums are both regarded as virtual lost classics, who
was dropped by a major label (Virgin) only to be resigned eight
years later, and whose intensely realized studio perfectionism
doesn’t really allow for the concept of deadlines.
Benson is a retrophile pop alchemist of the first order, the
musical bastard son of Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, Stevie Wonder
and every great melodic Brit-rock band of the past forty years. He
is also a studio experimentalist supreme, a self-producing virtual
one-man band who calls for help only when he absolutely needs it,
and decorates each song with layer upon layer of intriguing sonic
strata, adding bells or percussion or warm synth textures to his
core guitar crunch.
Whether or not he is actually physically related to Lenny
Kravitz, I will leave to others to determine. What he is, on
The Alternative To Love, is a meticulous craftsman working
in the medium of late ’60s-early ’70s classic rock.
Highlights include the sing-songy bells-and-guitars melody of
“Cold Hands (Warm Heart)”; the smart-alecky lyric, power-pop rhythm
and goofy retro synths of “Feel Like Myself”; the airy Supremes
backbeat-and-tambourine opening to “The Pledge”; the supple
piano-based melodies of “Biggest Fan”; and the brawny, Lennyesque
guitar lines of “Between Us.”
The title track is particularly appealing, opening acoustic
before building nicely as musical details (bluesy rhythm guitar,
layered harmony vocals, harmonica) are gradually added. The vocal
is among his best as well, nimbly navigating a dense rumination on
romantic failure that’s full of witty rhymes.
In places Benson reminds me of Fountains Of Wayne in his
dedication to craft and the variety of textures he adds to the
basic paradigm of propulsive power-pop. What’s missing for the most
part is FoW’s smirky sense of humor, and while Benson’s general
earnestness has its own appeal, my one criticism would be that he
sometimes seems to be trying a little too obviously hard to be
artful.
The Alternative To Love is a lovingly assembled disc
populated with familiar but fresh arrangements and melodies that
consistently entertain. I wouldn’t call it a masterpiece, but it’s
an alternative well worth exploring.