Ben Marwood
This Is Not What You Had Planned LP
Tuesday 26th of August 2008
By Zara F
You have to give credit to Ben Marwood. After listening for only a few seconds of his new album, This Is Not What You Had Planned, I was utterly smitten. His intelligently quirky lyrics have you hooked, whilst the cute acoustic guitar has you smiling.
It's the genuine story telling aspect, often used by many of the popular acts today, which have you captured.
Love, pop bands and blaming Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly for stealing his sound, are all topics that will have you thinking this man is quite the lyrical genius. Indeed, there shall be no doubt that he will be compared to Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly, so for him to point that out is very clever.
Stand out track is the heart felt 'Fake It', which talks of ambition and how many of the bands on the TV are just the same. In this song, it is clear why he is making music: to be just that bit different from the rest. Indeed, his lyrics are realistic, 'I Know What I Did Last Summer' being that emotional rollercoaster that every album should have. Warning: this gut wrenching track will have you welling up.
The problem I have with this album is the acoustic aspect. It's hard to be different when all you have is an acoustic guitar and it can be quite depressing listening to it for a whole album, but this is clearly what Marwood wanted. Not many acts use this format and, to his credit, he pulls it off quite well as you can then listen to what he has to say rather than focusing on over-powering music.
Marwood obviously wanted to make a statement with this album, and boy has he made it. The lyrics will make you think and ladies, well you may find a new heartthrob.
Official Rating
We rated this record 3.5 out of 5.
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