This Birmingham based four piece with, it has to be said, a rather uninspiring name (sorry Mr & Mrs Bennett senior) have achieved something pretty remarkable with this EP. Somehow the freshness and enthusiasm of these recently graduated musicians has been coupled with mature song writing and a polished production sound rarely found on a debut independent release. A host of influences have inspired leader Matthew Bennett, from The Beatles, through Nick Drake and Gram Parsons, to The Clash, early blues, and folk music. The result is folk-infused alt-pop/rock. Bennett met co-founder Matt Foundling at Coventry University where they were both studying music composition, and that grounding becomes apparent in the arrangement and choice of instrumentation for these well constructed songs. Lone female member Lesley-Marie Turner adds subtle folksy leavening with dreamy backing vocals, violin, mandolin, and tin whistle.

The EP sets off with barnstorming acoustic rockabilly “Kill Me”, and there’s good variation in pace in the following five tracks. Some (“Someday Soon”, “Looking Just Like You Are”) almost have the feel of instant standards, only needing a cover from some more famous name to easily bring home a chart hit or album track royalties. The latter is a beautiful piano/violin ballad that grows from a Ryan Adams styled vocal intro to bloom into a full chorus. It does highlight Bennett’s trademark vocal tick though – a tendency to warble when carrying longer notes. It’s not full-on Antony Hegarty quivering, but I found it detracting from the experience – being more annoying than emotional. Frankly, the songs are good enough not to need this unnecessary ornamentation. Gentle acoustic guitar and bongos closer “A Place To Fall” also has this imperfection, but in that case it does help raise it above the level of a Jack Johnson style snooze-fest.

If someone from Radio 2 catches hold of this band, they could really take off. And being ‘Radio 2 friendly’ is, of course, not the put-down these days that it used to be in my youth. I’m left with a faint echo of 80′s popsters Deacon Blue: especially from up-beat toe-tapping shuffle “Out On A Weekend”. This again for some may be a case of damning with faint praise, but it’s all very well done. And if they don’t make it themselves, keep checking the chart song writing credits for the next few years – that uninspiring name is going to turn up somewhere. Oh, and apparently they still need a bass player …
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Links
The Matthew Bennett Band [myspace]