19-02-2011, 12:51
leaning toward the folk side
my grade scale seem to be stuck on 1.8
Grade - 1.8
released Feb 15th, 2011
![[Image: p28446llcmo.jpg]](http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drp200/p284/p28446llcmo.jpg)
from the album - Lightbulbs - 2.0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-lzRNnzVy4
from all music
Bio
Ben Ottewell is best known as a member of Gomez, a British rock act whose debut album, Bring It On, won the Mercury Music Prize in 1998. Gomez never had a designated frontman -- Ottewell, Ian Ball, and Tom Gray all sang, and the bandâs albums usually included several vocal performances from each -- but Ottewell took the helm more than his bandmates, making him one of the groupâs most prominent members. After releasing the bandâs sixth album in 2009, he began paving the way for a solo career, making his debut with the release of 2011âs Shapes & Shadows.
Album Review
Gomez have always been a hard group to pigeonhole, their songs falling somewhere in the vicinity of British folk, pop, contemporary blues, and jam band rock & roll. Shapes & Shadows, the first solo release by bandmember Ben Ottewell, takes a straighter approach. Although recorded in Los Angeles, itâs a rainy-day folk album anchored in Ottewellâs acoustic guitar, with occasional swells of strings and synths that conjure up images of the English coast. Thereâs a controlled intimacy to the album; even when âLightbulbsâ builds up to a crescendo, itâs barely enough sound to fill oneâs headphones, much less the concert halls that Gomez routinely play. Ottewell makes the most of that seclusion, and Shapes & Shadows draws parallels to Nick Drake and early David Gray at its most bare-boned. Despite being the most recognizable voice in Gomez, though, Ottewell always shared frontman duties with his bandmates, and hearing his gauzy tenor on nine consecutive songs tends to bring some of its shortcomings to the forefront. When he surrounds himself with other players, though, these songs come alive, from the rootsy swagger of âBlackbirdâ to the eccentric chamber pop of âLightbulbs,â which could double as an Ed Harcourt outtake. Ottewell isnât the first Gomez bandmate to pursue interests outside the band, but Shapes & Shadows is the most accessible solo effort to appear from that group.
Track Listing
1 Shapes & Shadows Genders, Ottewell 3:45
2 Lightbulbs Genders, Ottewell 4:48
3 All Brand New Genders, Ottewell 4:16
4 Blackbird Genders, Ottewell 4:33
5 Chicago Genders, Ottewell 4:02
6 No Obstacles Genders, Ottewell 2:42
7 Chose Genders, Ottewell 3:26
8 Step Right Back Genders, Ottewell 3:40
9 Take This Beach Genders, Ottewell 4:37
my grade scale seem to be stuck on 1.8
Grade - 1.8
released Feb 15th, 2011
from the album - Lightbulbs - 2.0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-lzRNnzVy4
from all music
Bio
Ben Ottewell is best known as a member of Gomez, a British rock act whose debut album, Bring It On, won the Mercury Music Prize in 1998. Gomez never had a designated frontman -- Ottewell, Ian Ball, and Tom Gray all sang, and the bandâs albums usually included several vocal performances from each -- but Ottewell took the helm more than his bandmates, making him one of the groupâs most prominent members. After releasing the bandâs sixth album in 2009, he began paving the way for a solo career, making his debut with the release of 2011âs Shapes & Shadows.
Album Review
Gomez have always been a hard group to pigeonhole, their songs falling somewhere in the vicinity of British folk, pop, contemporary blues, and jam band rock & roll. Shapes & Shadows, the first solo release by bandmember Ben Ottewell, takes a straighter approach. Although recorded in Los Angeles, itâs a rainy-day folk album anchored in Ottewellâs acoustic guitar, with occasional swells of strings and synths that conjure up images of the English coast. Thereâs a controlled intimacy to the album; even when âLightbulbsâ builds up to a crescendo, itâs barely enough sound to fill oneâs headphones, much less the concert halls that Gomez routinely play. Ottewell makes the most of that seclusion, and Shapes & Shadows draws parallels to Nick Drake and early David Gray at its most bare-boned. Despite being the most recognizable voice in Gomez, though, Ottewell always shared frontman duties with his bandmates, and hearing his gauzy tenor on nine consecutive songs tends to bring some of its shortcomings to the forefront. When he surrounds himself with other players, though, these songs come alive, from the rootsy swagger of âBlackbirdâ to the eccentric chamber pop of âLightbulbs,â which could double as an Ed Harcourt outtake. Ottewell isnât the first Gomez bandmate to pursue interests outside the band, but Shapes & Shadows is the most accessible solo effort to appear from that group.
Track Listing
1 Shapes & Shadows Genders, Ottewell 3:45
2 Lightbulbs Genders, Ottewell 4:48
3 All Brand New Genders, Ottewell 4:16
4 Blackbird Genders, Ottewell 4:33
5 Chicago Genders, Ottewell 4:02
6 No Obstacles Genders, Ottewell 2:42
7 Chose Genders, Ottewell 3:26
8 Step Right Back Genders, Ottewell 3:40
9 Take This Beach Genders, Ottewell 4:37