Ben Lorentzen - America
- Written by Julia Lamb
Brooding singer-songwriter Ben Lorentzen’s latest album America is a visceral lesson in contemplative noir-folk. Resembling at times both Nick Cave and Nick Drake, the New Jersey artist manages to achieve a sense of intimacy and largeness at once, his coarse vocals often accompanied by an atmospheric, echoic soundscape.
‘My American Revolution’ opens the album with a haunting outset, a chilling aura that endures across all 11 tracks. Lorentzen recites his lines with mantra-like allegiance: “This is my American revolution/ I have always been a wanderer, never been quite so alone . . . And I will never return, and all my bridges are burned”. With its sparse, sweeping landscape and lowly crooning vocals, 'My American Revolution' very easily could have fit on the soundtrack of award-winning, Wild West-set video game, Red Dead Redemption (2010). There’s something eerie about a song so desolate associated with the word ‘revolution’, but it’s in these dark sensibilities that Lorentzen indulges his musical inclinations and it pays off handsomely. Tracks like, ‘Evergreen Tree’ and ‘Iron Bells’ highlight the rawness of Lorentzen’s voice and showcase its intimate relationship with a plucky acoustic guitar; the sound falls somewhere between Damien Rice and Iron & Wine, but with a darker edge.
‘Jesus, John And I’ brings the album to a close with a swell of mellowed out piano, high-rising harmonies and ethereal organ synth. Boasting Lorentzen’s most impressive vocal work on the record, the track is a moving finale to a stunning album.
America is available from iTunes.