Spring Break
REVIEW: 'Changing Horses,' shifting focus
3 out of 5 stars
Fernando Dutra
Issue date: 2/12/09 Section: Focus
It's been three years since Ben Kweller's intensely personal self-titled album. "Changing Horses," as the title suggests, shows Kweller stretching his songwriting abilities, experimenting with storytelling alongside a more country-influenced twang.
Kweller's new locale could be the explanation for this sense of direction. Written shortly after having moved to Austin, Texas, the music is sparse, giving each song a sense of greater focus. Sometimes less is more. All 10 songs seem like they were arranged and recorded quickly, giving the album a somewhat organic development and throwaway feeling, showing that Kweller doesn't have to try hard to succeed.
The album is divided between personal lyrics and character storytelling, which is usually used to give new insight into Kweller's ideals. On "Fight," Kweller encourages a trucker and a woman to keep fighting the good fight, while others join in on the chorus. It is the sort of honky-tonk bar song that feels warm and off-the-cuff, allowing Kweller to get away with hackneyed lines like "You have to fight until your dying day," while the music swells around him. "Sawdust Man" sees a similar exposition, with Kweller exclaiming, "I'm the sawdust man/ I'm the music man/ I'm the talk of the town."
Half of the album is a celebration, the other half introspection.
"Gypsy Rose," which starts the album off, has a melancholy Kweller admiring a rose, promising not to let it die in a world that would want it to. It is a thematic parallel to "Sundress," off his previous album. On "Old Hat," Kweller digs even deeper into his soul, saying "I don't want you getting tired of me honey after such a good start/ I never want to be the old hat you put on your pretty head." This sincere worry is the closest Kweller gets to the earnestness of his deeply personal self-titled album.
Despite the new direction, Kweller can't help himself to withhold pop melodies. On "Wantin' Her Again," a slow acoustic start accentuates Kweller's inflections, and by the time he says, "I'm a lonely man/ But she don't understand," a full band complete with slide guitar helps move the song along. It's most reminiscent of his work in "On My Way." The song explodes as he repeats the title, "She just wants me/Wantin' her again." A clamor of cymbals meant to showcase Kweller's rising frustration ends the song.
"Changing Horses" sees Kweller moving in the direction often suggested by his previous works, boiling down his formula into easy-listening country songs full of twang and saloon sing-alongs. Despite this conscientious change, Kweller doesn't sound significantly different than he has before.
His songwriting has expanded and his themes more substantive, not to mention he is still quirky, but it is clear to see why Kweller hasn't broken into the mainstream. Regardless, the album is enjoyable and worth listening to, even if it won't be one of the most memorable of the year.
Kweller's new locale could be the explanation for this sense of direction. Written shortly after having moved to Austin, Texas, the music is sparse, giving each song a sense of greater focus. Sometimes less is more. All 10 songs seem like they were arranged and recorded quickly, giving the album a somewhat organic development and throwaway feeling, showing that Kweller doesn't have to try hard to succeed.
The album is divided between personal lyrics and character storytelling, which is usually used to give new insight into Kweller's ideals. On "Fight," Kweller encourages a trucker and a woman to keep fighting the good fight, while others join in on the chorus. It is the sort of honky-tonk bar song that feels warm and off-the-cuff, allowing Kweller to get away with hackneyed lines like "You have to fight until your dying day," while the music swells around him. "Sawdust Man" sees a similar exposition, with Kweller exclaiming, "I'm the sawdust man/ I'm the music man/ I'm the talk of the town."
Half of the album is a celebration, the other half introspection.
"Gypsy Rose," which starts the album off, has a melancholy Kweller admiring a rose, promising not to let it die in a world that would want it to. It is a thematic parallel to "Sundress," off his previous album. On "Old Hat," Kweller digs even deeper into his soul, saying "I don't want you getting tired of me honey after such a good start/ I never want to be the old hat you put on your pretty head." This sincere worry is the closest Kweller gets to the earnestness of his deeply personal self-titled album.
Despite the new direction, Kweller can't help himself to withhold pop melodies. On "Wantin' Her Again," a slow acoustic start accentuates Kweller's inflections, and by the time he says, "I'm a lonely man/ But she don't understand," a full band complete with slide guitar helps move the song along. It's most reminiscent of his work in "On My Way." The song explodes as he repeats the title, "She just wants me/Wantin' her again." A clamor of cymbals meant to showcase Kweller's rising frustration ends the song.
"Changing Horses" sees Kweller moving in the direction often suggested by his previous works, boiling down his formula into easy-listening country songs full of twang and saloon sing-alongs. Despite this conscientious change, Kweller doesn't sound significantly different than he has before.
His songwriting has expanded and his themes more substantive, not to mention he is still quirky, but it is clear to see why Kweller hasn't broken into the mainstream. Regardless, the album is enjoyable and worth listening to, even if it won't be one of the most memorable of the year.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
chris
posted 2/12/09 @ 2:22 PM EST
Not all of this is 'new material,' so to speak. Many of these songs were written long ago and finally found a place together on this album. noteworthy?
Fernando
posted 2/13/09 @ 8:32 AM EST
I am aware that half of the songs on this album were released on an EP released last year and one or two songs were concert staples. Regardless, that begs the question of, Why didn't Ben release the material sooner? The answer may be because he was waiting to compile enough like-minded tracks to release an album of it. (Continued…)
Mari Silva
posted 3/04/09 @ 12:17 PM EST
Hey all! You should check out WNEW's interview with Ben Kweller- he also performs a couple of songs too!
http://www.wnew.com/2009/02/ben-kweller-visits-wnew-for-interview-and-acoustic-performance. (Continued…)
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