Benjamin Booker's (who Harry recently followed) new album has a song described like this:
When that fog lifts a bit, as it does on the gorgeous ballad “Slow Dance in a Gay Bar,” he sounds isolated and vulnerable. And of course, that’s what the song is basically about — a guy stepping out of his comfort zone in an attempt to find what he badly wants, and feeling desperate for someone to truly perceive him. You hear the awkwardness and loneliness in the music, but more so, a feeling that he’s getting closer to the light. He’s almost there!
Benjamin Booker returns with ‘LOWER’ on January 24th, introducing us to his first album in seven years.
Watching an artist return to music after a hiatus is like peering into another human experience; what have they been thinking about in the time since we last encountered them? For Booker, his latest project delves into the far reaches of form and storytelling. While his music has never shied away from curiosities in spirituality, self-recognition and being, ‘LOWER’ presents the same thematic questions – this time also embarking on an ambitious exploration of genre. The record’s expanse sees sonic nods to experimental and lo-fi hip-hop, dream and noise pop, and ambient indie rock. Booker is finding his sound, basking in niche qualities, away from all the noise.
Co-produced by Kenny Segal, Booker credits Segal for helping him create the sonic essence of the project. He shares, “I wanted to get to this sound, but I didn’t know how. At some point I decided I’m going to find it or die trying. Kenny was the missing piece I needed – he fills in all of my gaps. I don’t know what I’ll do next, but if I can imagine it, I can do it now.”
With the announcement of the record, Booker has so far released three music videos leading up to release; ‘LWA IN THE TRAILER PARK’, ‘SAME KIND OF LONELY’ and ‘SLOW DANCE IN A GAY BAR’. Black, white, and grey hues depict characters in search of meaning in this muted dreamscape. Selective imagery points to the internal discourses about race, being, and belonging, painting a grander vision for Booker’s third record. Particularly poignant is the video for lead single ‘LWA IN THE TRAILER PARK’, where Booker shares, “I felt particularly connected to Paul Schrader’s work making this album. Like several of his movies, I wanted to look at a troubled character on the edge, reaching for transcendence. Now that I’m working on a series of connected videos, Schrader has had an influence in that arena as well, along with Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Samourai and Charles Burnett’s Killer of Sheep.”
Perhaps what makes this more striking is Booker’s own history. Growing up in a trailer park on the outskirts of Tampa, he cites religion and race as symbolic factors that often led to feelings of isolation in his youth. It was ultimately the punk scene that drove him forth into music and making, eventually leading to his own self-titled debut record. Where his debut album burst forth with Americana-inspired garage rock, his second album, ‘Witness’, revelled in its deep string arrangements and ballad-rock.‘LOWER’ is certainly a culmination of the two, and then some. ‘Black Opps’ drives us straight into the realm of ‘LOWER’, with synthesised rhythms and fuzzy guitar. Booker’s vocals arrive, no louder than a whisper, crooning ‘give a little love’. Lead single ‘LWA in the Trailer Park’ reminisces on punk rock sensibilities, allowing Booker to slowly guide us through the crescendos of rising and bubbling instrumentals. ‘Pompeii Statues’ and ‘Slow Dance In A Gay Bar’ allow Booker’s soft power to shine through, ruminating on ebbs and flows of masterful production. Bass heavy ‘Speaking With The Dead’ presents a rising tension between sonic possibilities and layered lyricism. Nodding to the grainy qualities of retro recordings, ‘Rebecca Latimer Felton Takes a BBC’ leans into this storytelling more. Hearing ‘New World’ right after is like a snap back to our contemporary music world, spinning deeper into the musical realm of LOWER. ‘Same Kind of Lonely’ holds moments reminiscent of ‘Witness’ and his self-titled debut, while ‘Show and Tell’ stands playful in its sonic clarity. ‘Heavy On My Mind’ peels back the layers of Booker’s internalised truths, before rounding out on ‘Hope For The Night Time’, a ballad-esque piece that gives a final push into his dreamscape. — Rachel Min Leong
Outtacontroller - Cheap Pop
J Mascis - Breathe (The Cure)
Freckle - Heavy
Waxahatchee - Mud
MIEN - Evil People
Beans & Fatback - Black and Blue
Jacket Burner - Cold Leather
FACS - Desire Path
Subatomic Sound System - Put Down The Gun (Dubstrumental)
Songhoy Blues - Garibou
Benjamin Booker - Black Opps
La Sécurité - Ketchup
Meat Wave - Voicemail
Craig Finn - People Of Substance
The Jesus Lizard - Westside
The Men - PO Box 96
Erik Nervous - Wasp
Wild Billy Childish & The Chatham Singers - Rollin' and Tumblin'
Melter - They Treat You Different
Jacket Burner - Tonite
MUSIC MONDAY: "I'll Take You There" - The Best of Mavis Staples (LISTEN)
by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Twitter: @marlonw IG: stlmarlonwest Spotify: marlonwest)
Mavis Staples is eighty-four years old as I peck these words. She has been a gospel and soul singer longer than Elizabeth II wore the crown.
Many R&B vocalists started in gospel music, though she and her family have always kept a foot in both worlds. The Staple Singers have brought their spirituality, and…
