Esser: Braveface
Esser puts on a Braveface
Also In The News
|
A fantastic opening round from Soren Hansen saw the Dane break the course record at the Open de Espana with a nine-under-par 63. |  |
Friday, 01, May 2009 11:08
Transgressive Records, out May 4th.
In a nutshell...
Fresh, British, Bedroom-pop, Nostalgic, Catchy
What's it all about?
Ben Esser's debut album comprises of ten tracks and is a perfectly formed little nugget of fresh British pop that's sure to kick off his career. He's the brain behind all aspects of the music and has been assisted on this album by co-producer Lexxx. Braveface fuses various sounds and styles in wonderful harmony to create a mostly unpretentious record.
Who's it by
Typical bedroom-musician story for this 23-year-old lad from Essex - I won't bore you with the details. He's got a mega quiff and fashion is seemingly a big part of his sound. Thankfully, he has more talent than just looking cute. Could he be the new Mike Skinner/Beck/Damon Albarn? He's not purely focused on what's "cool" at the moment but encompasses sounds from garage to electronic via pop into this album. He comes across as mature and bright with a decent amount of flair.
As an example...
"When you feel you've had all you can take/Tie a brick to your ankles and jump in a lake." - Braveface - I like that the lines have rhythm even out of the context of the song.
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
He's already collaborated with so many big artists: Kaiser Chiefs, the Streets and Mystery Jets, to name but a few. Lucky break or talented enough to get what he deserves? Either way, he'll go far, at least in the UK.
What the others say
"... he's created an album full of pop songs dripping with pedigree influences, twisted up to make a record of serious zeitgeist pop." - bbc.co.uk/music
"... this sounds like Gorillaz playing Xbox and crying." - NME.com
So is it any good?
Well, here I was expecting some droning Hoxton wannabe and I couldn't have been more wrong. I have listened to Esser's debut album more times than I can remember and I'm still not bored. There is barely I track to fault, although Work it Out is slightly too repetitive for my taste. This album brought back memories I forgot I even had, from the good old garage days to the eeriness of Aphex Twin/Boards of Canada type electronic.
Headlock is reminiscent of Beck's windy pop. Esser's lyrics are roughly on the same level as Jamie T's but still not as good as Mike Skinner's. His voice is evocative of a nonchalant Carl Barat although more melodic with a superior range. I really enjoyed the slightly morose but brilliantly composed tracks Bones and I Love You. I hope he delivers live and can keep up this standard. I award Braveface 9/10 because I'm impressed but I want him to do even better.
9/10
Elise Pithouse