Ben Kweller : Ben Kweller

By Tony Merevick

“I wait. I wait. For something good, for something great,” sings Ben Kweller in his young, boyish drawl. Who isn’t waiting for something good? Who isn’t waiting for something great?

Well, if you’re waiting for some pretty good music to catch your ear; you must have patience. Patience. Good music doesn’t just appear when you want it to. Good music doesn’t necessarily find you—it’s just not that easy! You must search for it and wait until you discover it—that one song that makes your day. Well, wait no more!

Following the success of his first two albums (Sha Sha and On My Way), Kweller emerges from the studio once again, this time playing all of the instruments in each of the eleven tracks of his new self-titled album.

The album opens with the extremely youthful “Run”, a song reminiscent of going places as a kid and traveling alone, or together. With lyrics like “Since fifteen, I have ran everywhere you can run/ But together is much better/ So let’s run/ Let’s run/ Let’s run”, Kweller blends the energy of childhood with the nostalgia of his mid-twenties into a catchy, pop-rock song.

Kweller’s voice is brilliantly fresh and young. If you’re not a fan of Conor Oberst’s quavering voice, but still like his lyrics, then you’d probably like Ben Kweller. He may not be as political or poetic as Oberst, but there are certainly similarities in the way the two artists evoke emotion and imagery in their songs. These parallels are especially apparent in the repetitive song “Thirteen”. Here, Kweller tones down his voice and sings such memorable lyrics as “I kissed your dry lips/ We jumped off the high cliffs/ And splashed down below”.

Toward the middle of the album, Kweller brightens things up a bit with the tickling piano melodies and optimistic lyrics of “Penny on the Track". This song is full of energy and happiness. It would be perfect to play as you cruise down your local boulevard with the convertible top down. It’s just one of those good sunny day driving songs.

The rest of the album is much of the same. With three albums under his belt, it seems like Kweller knows what he’s all about and can reflect that in the way he writes songs.

Kweller shows off his rock n’ roll attitude at the end of the album with “This Is War”. Although the lyrics are less poignant and prosaic in this song, Kweller brings in an arsenal of energy and guitar action. “I cannot be your friend/ Because I gotta knock you out!” he sings, before declaring: “This is war”.

Throughout the album, Kweller follows a single style and approach. There aren’t many songs where he changes things up, but the result is a great, solid, consistent album. It may be exactly what you’ve been waiting for.