Ben Brookes |
The Motor Car & the Weather Balloon |
Martin~Guild Worldwide Productions |
21 Nov 2017 |
Ben Brookes — The Motor Car & the Weather Balloon (21 Nov 2017)♣••♣ English~born singer~songwriter. Soft spot for sharp hooks. Indie pop melodies are my guilty pleasure.
Location: Portsmouth/Guildford/London, UK
Album release: 21 Nov 2017
Record Label: Martin~Guild Worldwide Productions
Duration: 37:10
Tracks:
01 Integration (Not Segregation) 4:39
02 I Want to Go Home 3:07
03 Asleep in Galilee 3:05
04 The Girl Who Cried Wolf 3:53
05 Crack a Smile 3:16
06 Before Sunlight 4:38
07 Look Through My Eyes 3:23
08 Stories in the Rain 2:48
09 Siren 4:13
10 Shackles 4:08
℗ 2017 Ben Brookes
℗ 2017 Martin~GuildReview
Randy Radic, Contributor
♣••♣ Left Coast author, writer and editor. 10/21/2017 10:54 am ET
♣••♣ Ben Brookes is gearing up to drop his debut album, The Motor Car & The Weather Balloon. The album features a host of talented musicians: Prince drummer Michael Bland; Bob Dylan keyboardist Greg Inhofer; Badfinger’s Joey Molland; Badfinger’s Randy Anderson plays guitar; and the album was produced by Badfinger’s Mark Healey.
♣••♣ Hailing from Portsmouth, U.K., Brookes’ sound blends indie~pop, pop~rock and acoustic rock. His songs revolve around incisive hooks and indie~pop melodies. Brookes’ primary musical influences include Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Oasis, T۰REX, The Beatles, Pink Floyd and Dire Straits.
♣••♣ The Motor Car & The Weather Balloon comprises ten tracks. “I Want To Go Home” rides an indie~pop melody with a Celtic flavor. Brookes’ voice exudes an exotic inflection easy to listen to. “Asleep In Galilee” features a stellar crying guitar and a catchy indie pop melody. Light background vocal harmonies imbue the tune with a muted radiance. And I love the resounding bell. “The Girl Who Cried Wolf” reflects the opaque colors of a folk~rock melody rife with a Bob Dylan~like feel. An orchestral emanation adds depth, while a running synth streams glittering accents.
♣••♣ “Crack A Smile Songs” provides an undulating indie~pop melody harking back to The Cranberries because of its flow and lyrical articulation. The tune sparkles with muted bright guitars and sonorous synths. “Before Sunlight” delivers a smooth, laid~back essence that oozes subdued harmonics. Brookes’ voice is pitched higher, giving the tune a passionate intensity. This might be my favorite tune on the album because of its horizontal flow.
♣••♣ “Look Thru My Eyes” offers a funk~flavored, bluesy rock melody. A dirty guitar adds a nasty zest, as tootling keyboards inject emergent sonic hues. A braying sax adds dark moodiness as Brookes’ voice attains crescendo. “Stories In The Rain” rides a potent indie~rock melody with heavy keyboards and wavering guitars. “Siren” rides the piano and Irish~flavored violins merging to form an indie~rock melody with an orchestral radiance.
♣••♣ “Shackles” features gentle guitars traveling over a glimmering piano. The melody combines folk and indie pop flavors. A strong bassline thrums vibrantly underneath, providing a measured pulsing rhythm. “Integration (Not Segregation)” combines folk and indie~pop elements into a Harry Chapin~like melody full of dark tinctures of frustration and righteous indignation. Brookes’ voice, pervaded by a strident note, delivers fervent emotional commitment.
♣••♣ The Motor Car & The Weather Balloon is a strong album and very much worth listening to. The melodies are attractive and Brookes’ distinctive voice infuses the songs with an interesting exotic aroma. ♣••♣ https://www.huffingtonpost.com/Review
•• How does a quintessentially British singer~songwriter find himself in Minnesota recording his first full~length album with the former sidemen of Prince and Bob Dylan? YouTube, of course. The platform that launched so many pop idols was where Ben Brookes posted his random selection of acoustic covers, ranging from Pink Floyd to Crowded House to Del Amitri. The latter was the one that eventually led to the invitation to travel from his home in Portsmouth, on the south coast of England, to Minnesota to record The Motor Car and the Weather Balloon.
•• Produced by Badfinger bassist, Mark Healey, The Motor Car and the Weather Baloon keeps an even canter, steadied by Michael Bland’s nuanced, tasteful drumming. Layered with piano and organ by Gregg Inhofer and additional guitar by Badfinger’s Joey Molland (whose solo on the power pop jangler, Stories in the Rain instantly reminded me of his former boss, George Harrison). Soaring above it all is Brookes’ voice. At times, a touch of prime Elton John with one atom of (in the most complimentary way) Phil Collins’ hard~belting push mingled with the fused base of Glen Hansard and Mick Hucknall. Within the acceptable range of nasal and with a cigarette~edged throaty quality, Brookes’ voice is natural and hard~working.
•• Brookes names his greatest influences as Cash, Bowie, Bolan and the Beatles with the strongest coming from Manchester’s Gallagher brothers. Interestingly, none dominate and without knowing, you’d likely never guess any apart from the Fab Four. Although the Beatles’ influence is woven in the DNA of every living British musician in some way. It’s most prevalent in the touches of Sgt. Pepper production that bubble up on The Motor Car and the Weather Balloon. The album is full of pop hooks and despite generally lacking a thick skin of vocal harmonies is stunningly melodic at times. Few songs fail to shine as bright as Stories in the Rain or Integration (Not Segregation) but if this debut long player is an indication of things to come from Ben Brookes, he is an artist to follow. •• http://www.weraddicted.com/
Website: https://www.benbrookes.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/benbrookesmusic
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/benbrookesmusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benbrookesmusic/
••••_____________________________________________________••••
Ben Brookes |
The Motor Car & the Weather Balloon |
Martin~Guild Worldwide Productions |
21 Nov 2017 |
Ben Brookes — The Motor Car & the Weather Balloon (21 Nov 2017)♣••♣ English~born singer~songwriter. Soft spot for sharp hooks. Indie pop melodies are my guilty pleasure.
Location: Portsmouth/Guildford/London, UK
Album release: 21 Nov 2017
Record Label: Martin~Guild Worldwide Productions
Duration: 37:10
Tracks:
01 Integration (Not Segregation) 4:39
02 I Want to Go Home 3:07
03 Asleep in Galilee 3:05
04 The Girl Who Cried Wolf 3:53
05 Crack a Smile 3:16
06 Before Sunlight 4:38
07 Look Through My Eyes 3:23
08 Stories in the Rain 2:48
09 Siren 4:13
10 Shackles 4:08
℗ 2017 Ben Brookes
℗ 2017 Martin~GuildReview
Randy Radic, Contributor
♣••♣ Left Coast author, writer and editor. 10/21/2017 10:54 am ET
♣••♣ Ben Brookes is gearing up to drop his debut album, The Motor Car & The Weather Balloon. The album features a host of talented musicians: Prince drummer Michael Bland; Bob Dylan keyboardist Greg Inhofer; Badfinger’s Joey Molland; Badfinger’s Randy Anderson plays guitar; and the album was produced by Badfinger’s Mark Healey.
♣••♣ Hailing from Portsmouth, U.K., Brookes’ sound blends indie~pop, pop~rock and acoustic rock. His songs revolve around incisive hooks and indie~pop melodies. Brookes’ primary musical influences include Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Oasis, T۰REX, The Beatles, Pink Floyd and Dire Straits.
♣••♣ The Motor Car & The Weather Balloon comprises ten tracks. “I Want To Go Home” rides an indie~pop melody with a Celtic flavor. Brookes’ voice exudes an exotic inflection easy to listen to. “Asleep In Galilee” features a stellar crying guitar and a catchy indie pop melody. Light background vocal harmonies imbue the tune with a muted radiance. And I love the resounding bell. “The Girl Who Cried Wolf” reflects the opaque colors of a folk~rock melody rife with a Bob Dylan~like feel. An orchestral emanation adds depth, while a running synth streams glittering accents.
♣••♣ “Crack A Smile Songs” provides an undulating indie~pop melody harking back to The Cranberries because of its flow and lyrical articulation. The tune sparkles with muted bright guitars and sonorous synths. “Before Sunlight” delivers a smooth, laid~back essence that oozes subdued harmonics. Brookes’ voice is pitched higher, giving the tune a passionate intensity. This might be my favorite tune on the album because of its horizontal flow.
♣••♣ “Look Thru My Eyes” offers a funk~flavored, bluesy rock melody. A dirty guitar adds a nasty zest, as tootling keyboards inject emergent sonic hues. A braying sax adds dark moodiness as Brookes’ voice attains crescendo. “Stories In The Rain” rides a potent indie~rock melody with heavy keyboards and wavering guitars. “Siren” rides the piano and Irish~flavored violins merging to form an indie~rock melody with an orchestral radiance.
♣••♣ “Shackles” features gentle guitars traveling over a glimmering piano. The melody combines folk and indie pop flavors. A strong bassline thrums vibrantly underneath, providing a measured pulsing rhythm. “Integration (Not Segregation)” combines folk and indie~pop elements into a Harry Chapin~like melody full of dark tinctures of frustration and righteous indignation. Brookes’ voice, pervaded by a strident note, delivers fervent emotional commitment.
♣••♣ The Motor Car & The Weather Balloon is a strong album and very much worth listening to. The melodies are attractive and Brookes’ distinctive voice infuses the songs with an interesting exotic aroma. ♣••♣ https://www.huffingtonpost.com/Review
•• How does a quintessentially British singer~songwriter find himself in Minnesota recording his first full~length album with the former sidemen of Prince and Bob Dylan? YouTube, of course. The platform that launched so many pop idols was where Ben Brookes posted his random selection of acoustic covers, ranging from Pink Floyd to Crowded House to Del Amitri. The latter was the one that eventually led to the invitation to travel from his home in Portsmouth, on the south coast of England, to Minnesota to record The Motor Car and the Weather Balloon.
•• Produced by Badfinger bassist, Mark Healey, The Motor Car and the Weather Baloon keeps an even canter, steadied by Michael Bland’s nuanced, tasteful drumming. Layered with piano and organ by Gregg Inhofer and additional guitar by Badfinger’s Joey Molland (whose solo on the power pop jangler, Stories in the Rain instantly reminded me of his former boss, George Harrison). Soaring above it all is Brookes’ voice. At times, a touch of prime Elton John with one atom of (in the most complimentary way) Phil Collins’ hard~belting push mingled with the fused base of Glen Hansard and Mick Hucknall. Within the acceptable range of nasal and with a cigarette~edged throaty quality, Brookes’ voice is natural and hard~working.
•• Brookes names his greatest influences as Cash, Bowie, Bolan and the Beatles with the strongest coming from Manchester’s Gallagher brothers. Interestingly, none dominate and without knowing, you’d likely never guess any apart from the Fab Four. Although the Beatles’ influence is woven in the DNA of every living British musician in some way. It’s most prevalent in the touches of Sgt. Pepper production that bubble up on The Motor Car and the Weather Balloon. The album is full of pop hooks and despite generally lacking a thick skin of vocal harmonies is stunningly melodic at times. Few songs fail to shine as bright as Stories in the Rain or Integration (Not Segregation) but if this debut long player is an indication of things to come from Ben Brookes, he is an artist to follow. •• http://www.weraddicted.com/
Website: https://www.benbrookes.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/benbrookesmusic
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/benbrookesmusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benbrookesmusic/
••••_____________________________________________________••••