05.
Ben Kweller
Changing Horses
This was the only album this year that I had no trouble placing in the list. That’s because there are four albums that are clearly way and above all others, and yet, this album is just as clearly better than all the rest. So, right from the start of drawing up my list this year, it was clear that Ben Kweller was going to come in at #5. I think this is probably my favourite of his records, which is odd because it moves much more notably towards country music, a genre I’ve never really been a fan of. True, he has flirted with country in the past, but Changing Horses is basically a country music album. And a fine one, too. Ben Kweller has come a long way since his days as a teenage Cobain wannabe in Radish. This is a mature album from a ‘proper’ musician, which, first and foremost, highlights his talent as a songwriter. Lyrically, the songs are bittersweet vignettes, musing on love and life. Musically, they range from the upbeat sing-song style of ‘Fight’ to the soft piano ballad of ‘Homeward Bound’ (the album closer, and easily the best track on show). Much like the Monsters Of Folk album, this is a record of real class, start to finish.
Ben Kweller
Changing Horses
This was the only album this year that I had no trouble placing in the list. That’s because there are four albums that are clearly way and above all others, and yet, this album is just as clearly better than all the rest. So, right from the start of drawing up my list this year, it was clear that Ben Kweller was going to come in at #5. I think this is probably my favourite of his records, which is odd because it moves much more notably towards country music, a genre I’ve never really been a fan of. True, he has flirted with country in the past, but Changing Horses is basically a country music album. And a fine one, too. Ben Kweller has come a long way since his days as a teenage Cobain wannabe in Radish. This is a mature album from a ‘proper’ musician, which, first and foremost, highlights his talent as a songwriter. Lyrically, the songs are bittersweet vignettes, musing on love and life. Musically, they range from the upbeat sing-song style of ‘Fight’ to the soft piano ballad of ‘Homeward Bound’ (the album closer, and easily the best track on show). Much like the Monsters Of Folk album, this is a record of real class, start to finish.