Ben + Vesper
LuvInIdleness EP
Sounds Familyre; 2010
Sometimes, no matter how hard someone might work to carve out his/her own artistic identity, it’s nearly impossible to escape one’s influences. And that’s really OK in my book, as long as that artist openly acknowledges what the rest of us are hearing in the music. Such is the situation with Ben + Vesper on their brand new EP, entitled LuvInIdleness. As in, even if you didn’t know that this married couple was signed to the Danielson Family record label and that Sufjan Stevens produced this project, those are the sonic touchstones you’d probably use to describe the music. These five songs bespeak of the sort of twee indie-pop that many of us have extolled as achingly beautiful on records like Seven Swans and Illinois, striking that oh-so-familiar balance between light-hearted and melancholy.
Ben and Vesper harmonize consistently throughout the album, letting you know that this is a truly equal musical partnership. He implements a rather average baritone that’s often a bit too somber for some of the more peppy material, while her voice calls to mind the pleasant sounds of Zooey Deschanel and Jenny Lewis. The instrumentation is what you’d expect from a group who travels in circles with Daniel Smith and Sufjan Stevens – guitars lines that are alternately plucked acoustic or washes of surf reverb, plinking piano trills, Danielson-esque syncopated drums and percussion, and touches of banjo, autoharp, and accordion.
In the end, with the title cut and “Oarless Oracle” serving as standout tracks, this is a pleasant enough little record, but there’s nothing that special or distinct about it. Ben + Vesper simply sound like the zippier younger siblings of fellow Sufjan acolytes The Welcome Wagon, complete with songs that honestly do feel like B-sides from the Michigan sessions. And while there’s nothing inherently wrong with such an approach (I’m sure that many people will probably love this EP!), LuvInIdleness can come across as a good, but somewhat generic take on new-school, sensitive orchestral pop.