Labels: Boss Tuneage
Review by: Joe Callaghan
2009 has been shit-your-pants brilliant for new releases. I can’t even whittle it down a top 10. When the end of the year comes, it will probably be a top 47. Heck, I could probably spin a list of my top 10 records that were released in the first week of June. As we come to the end of a downright fantastic year for new records, I was eagerly awaiting this dropping through my letterbox, because I just love Ben Deily, but only in the way that two people who don’t even know each other can love one another. It’s probably unrequited. Heartbreaking. Oh, Ben.
Ben Deily used to be in the Lemonheads, but not the successful major label Lemonheads. Before that, when they wrote a combination of superb pop songs and awful punk rock songs, Ben Deily was the co-pilot to their pre-success. And rightly so. His saccharine sweet voice and blissful melodies were what warranted the Lemonheads success, which was then completely overtaken by Evan Dando, and whilst I’m a fan of the more successful era of the Lemonheads, Evan Dando has never really been the most consistent of writers, with each record having its fair share of material which is best avoided. His knack of performing live is also questionable, as he continues to fail to hit the high notes. Disappointing. Luckily, Ben Deily continued where the early Lemonheads left off, and whilst the likes of this will never hit the major label heights of middle-era Lemonheads, what Deily has done is equally commendable. This, their second studio record, has matured vastly from the first, whilst still as melodically charming. Ben’s soft, slightly geeky vocal is instantly likeable if indie rock of this ilk is what gets you going, as each chorus delivers mountainous, foot-stomping melody, catchier than the clap. There’s no way to give this a proper critique without delving into lazy comparisons. It does ring true with early Lemonheads sound, which has been distilled, maturing for a couple of decades, and it’s Ben’s progression as a songwriter which sets Night Owls aside from his days in the Lemonheads, with contemporary production fully on their side. By right, it is pop punk for grown ups. This isn’t for kids with sweatbands and straightened hair. This is for grown men with steady jobs and sensible haircuts. You could listen to this whilst putting up some shelves, or ringing round for a quote to get your combi-boiler repaired. Not to be played at the college disco whilst getting off with lasses. Certainly not.