Ben Lee - Awake Is TheNew Sleep

Sat 19th Mar, 2005 in Music Reviews

Ben Lee has been called a lot of things during his career. Child prodigy, aloof, genius, arrogant, gifted and, my favourite, precocious little cunt. To be honest, I’ve never been a fan of Ben Lee. While not hating him, I’ve always considered him to be overrated and generally quite boring.

Why is it then that I actually enjoyed Awake Is the New Sleep? The reviews haven’t been too kind, his voice sounds exactly the same as before and there’s nothing that jumps out as being particularly prolific. But there’s something about the songs that are somewhat comforting.

According to Lee, it’s a record about waking up. Waking up from what is not entirely clear – but judging by some of the lyrical content on the record, one would bet that Lee’s recent split with actress Claire Danes may have something to do with this “waking up”. But I’m not here to regurgitate the gossip columns, so let’s stick to the music.

While opener, Whatever It Is has some sweet harmonies – it fails to pique any interest. On the other hand, second track and first single, Gamble Everything For Love, is probably the finest piece of songwriting I have heard from Lee over the 12 years of his career. The simple, repetitive drum beat and campfire sounding acoustic guitar match with a beautifully flowing vocal to make one of those songs that’s slightly unpredictable, but just sounds right.

Begin sees Lee dealing with being alone in New York, lamenting on what could have been. It combines an electronic drumbeat with some simple, pretty piano and a slow build up of electronic synth backing that works sufficiently.

Following on from what is a relatively depressing piece, Catch My Disease is possibly the cheeriest song on the record. Lee’s lyrics in this song are splattered with references to bands (Good Charlotte, Sleepy Jackson, Beyonce) and even a reference to being backstage in Pomona where the song was written and demoed. This kind of songwriting is something I would have expected from someone like Paul Kelly or Tim Rogers, but certainly not Ben Lee. It works though and could very well become a singalong favourite.

It is like clockwork then that the next song, Apple Candy, is about as depressing as songs get. I think Lee sums up this song best – so I’ll leave it to him.

Yes Ben, they do… I wonder what Ms Danes thinks of this one. Oh, that’s right. I’m not going to go there am I? While it sounds odd, it’s another of the record’s highlights that partly makes you want to drown yourself and partly makes you happy that you don’t have a bath to do so.

Ache For You was born out of a studio jam and covers that beautifully messy topic of developing a crush on a friend and the impossibility of avoiding it. Another depressing number, but one that’s written well.

It’s happy time again as Lee begins to sound more hopeful on the poppy Into The Dark. The highlight of this song is certainly the chorus, which is as catchy as anything I’ve heard in quite sometime and even manages to pick your heart up from the floor. I know it’s a bit silly, but how can you not adore a line like this.

Utterly cheesy, but so great!

Get Gotten is a sweet, depressing ballad with a great string arrangement, while Close I’ve Come doesn’t really sound like anything we haven’t heard before.

Lee attempts some psychedelic style imagery in The Debt Collectors, but it doesn’t really work. Besides that, I’m starting to get sick of the same fingerpicking patterns, gentle piano and Lee’s voice.

We’re All In This Together provides a bit of relief as it is clearly a very well written pop song. However, one can’t help but think it may have packed a stronger punch if it came earlier in the record, or a couple of other songs were scrapped.

Simply put, Light is long, Too long. It took a lot of patience to sit through the whole thing. It’s not a bad piece of music, but a noisy nine-minute jam just seems so unnecessary in the scheme of things.

By the time I’m Willing rolls around, I’d say most listeners will have probably drifted off, which is a shame because, as a closing song – it’s actually quite good.

The production of Brad Wood is sparse, that’s what makes it so good. The lush arrangements work when they’re needed, but it’s the organic simplicity of the sound that is most impressive.

Awake Is The New Sleep is a great record for the first 30-40 minutes, but after that, it becomes a bit much to handle. A more economical process of song choice would have proved to be a good option, but it was not to be.

I hope Ben enjoys his new life, eyes open, wide awake and ready to take on the “awesome mystery that is life.”