Ben de la Cour New Roses
Americanoir singer-songwriter Ben de la Cour recently released his latest long player, New Roses, exploring stories that reveal the pathos of the human condition. De la Cour describes the songs on New Roses as “night songs.”
According to de la Cour, “I didn’t even set out to make an album, but I started recording these songs on GarageBand with one microphone and this second-hand synth I bought, and then it sort of evolved that way. I just experimented with different approaches to songs and kind of let each song go where it wanted to go.”
The album features “Stuart Little Killed God (On 2nd Avenue),” a track blending surreal humor within a dark motif.
Talking about the track, de la Cour says, “The idea for the song came to me in a dream. I was walking through the streets of Manhattan beneath a black and apocalyptic sky. It was hot, and newspapers were blowing all around my feet as I leant into the wind. There were people staggering around like zombies; they had no eyes, and their mouths were just holes in their faces. A huge red whirlpool opened in the sky, and I grabbed one of the passersby and asked them what was going on. ‘God is dead’ they said. And right then, I knew, I just knew, that Stuart Little was to blame. Who else could it have been? So, I woke up and wrote this song.”
Save for the fiddle, played by Billy Contreras, and trumpet, de la Cour played every instrument on New Roses.
Of the 11 tracks on the album, highlights include the opening track, “I Must Be Lonely,” with its almost discordant tones and dark, mysterious feel. De la Cour’s vocals give the song a creamy richness that’s satisfying and a bit hypnotic.
The bluesy, almost sleazy textures of “The Devil Went Down To Silverlake” forge a potent melody that’s at once swampy and oozes an elusive, nasty voluptuousness. Whereas the melancholic “Bad Star” glitters and glides on drifting tones. De la Cour’s vocals imbue the lyrics with poignant wistfulness, a vivid ache of yearning.
The CSN&Y feel of “Beautiful Day” takes listeners back to another time and place – thick yet isolated, grungy guitars and forlorn vocals, as well as desolate harmonies, place the lyrics in a dark hole where light rarely enters.
A personal favorite because of its folk surfaces, “Christina” floats gently, tenderly. Emily Scott Robinson’s voice merges finely with de la Cour’s. Short yet sweet, this is a beautiful song.
“Stuart Little Killed God (On 2nd Avenue)” blends indie-Americana, hints of Seattle grunge, and touches of exotic savors into a complex melody topped by de la Cour’s tight, raw vocals.
At times dreamy, at times experimental, at times pretty, with New Roses, Ben de la Cour takes listeners on a weird and wonderful ride.
Discover more about Ben de la Cour here.
Check out some of our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Ben de la Cour “Sweet Anhedonia”
