My Old, Familiar Friend

構成数 : 1枚
合計収録時間 : 00:40:20
Personnel: Brendan Benson (vocals, guitar, keyboards, drums, percussion); Dave Sardy (guitar); Andrew Higley (French horn, keyboards, synthesizer, musical saw); Dean Fertita (keyboards, synthesizer); Rollum Haas, Lindsay Jamieson (drums); Brittany Harris (bells). Audio Mixer: Dave Sardy. Recording information: Iceanway, Nashville, TN; RAK, London, England. Illustrator: Evan Harris. Photographer: Autumn de Wilde. MY OLD, FAMILIAR FRIEND is Brendan Benson's first album since becoming Jack White's lieutenant in the Raconteurs, but that group's raucous classicist guitar rock isn't readily apparent on this, Benson's fourth collection of precisely practiced pop. If anything, the higher profile he's received as part of the Raconteurs has offered Benson the opportunity to ratchet up his perfectionism and indulge in a bit of retro fantasia, allowing him to pair the bright neo-Motown of "Garbage Day" with "Gonowhere," a rather brilliant pastiche of prime Wings. All the extra time and budget on MY OLD, FAMILIAR FRIEND does result in a record where it's easier to admire Benson's reach but it's at a cost: the extra care does take some of the power out of his power pop, putting his music somewhat at a remove even when it's at its liveliest, as on the opener "Eyes on the Horizon" or the cheerful, not entirely ironic, breakup stomp "Don't Wanna Talk." Such is the trade-off of working on a grander scale. Fortunately for Benson, his taste and melodic skills are suited for this bigger stage--MY OLD, FAMILIAR FRIEND winds up as an effective showcase for his craft even if it never quite grabs ahold the way LAPALCO did.