Aided & Abetted

Ben Davis, Ben Davis | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 10, 2003)
• Original Release Date: November 10, 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Lovitt Records
• ASIN: B0000V8GGE
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #569,715 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

Emerging from his punk rock roots in Sleepytime Trio and Milemarker, Ben Davis has developed into a musician with diverse interests and influences. His solo career evolved from a quiet four-track project into a full band ensemble that has toured the east coast and plays frequently on the east coast. After a year of performing solo, Lovitt Records released the critically acclaimed The Hushed Patterns of Relief, which was recorded at Salad Days by Brian McTernan.

Conceived as a quiet four-track project, Davis’s first release was a tightly knit collaboration of Chapel Hill musicians performing sparse pop pieces. Cello, lap-steel guitar, and piano accentuate the wash of guitars and full vocal melodies detailing recurring motifs that rise and swell throughout the record. Jonathan Fuller from Engine Down came aboard to record the drums and joined a studio band compromised of members of the Comas, The Mayflies USA, and the Poncho Holly Bullfight Party. A new back-up band including members of Fin Fang Foom and Des Ark emerged and toured to support the record. Davis’s other band, Bats & Mice, got busier and he returned to writing new songs mainly on the piano in between tours.

As a large collection of new songs accrued, he decided to utilize his vastly talented friends and bandmates to the fullest. Two years later, a collaboration between many friends resulted in his latest release, Aided & Abetted. Sixteen musicians and six production gurus came from six states during four recording and mixing sessions to contribute to the album. Members from Engine Down, Milemarker, Denali, Zetamale, Des Ark, and Fin Fang Foom, among others, are involved in the performance of this scintillating work. The album underscores a marked maturity that has evolved since his first album and is a calculated mix of melancholy rock and bright, textured pop.

Davis has played with such artists as Engine Down, Denali, and Rainer Maria with critical and popular reviews. He plans on touring throughout fall 2003 and winter 2004 in support of his new album.

Product Description

Two years after his first album, The Hushed Patterns of Relief, was released, Ben Davis returns with his newest album, Aided & Abetted. This album is the result of 16 musicians and six production gurus from six states working together during four recording and mixing sessions. Unlike many other studio albums, the album is enhanced by the input from such diverse sources and individuals. Davis has accomplished the rare feat of crafting a full-length in the studio that is both cohesive and accessible. The album underscores a marked maturity that has evolved since his first album and is a calculated mix of melancholy rock and bright, textured pop. Davis and his collaborators draw from intense and impressive palettes to conjure an album brimming with verve and electricity.

Co-produced by Davis, Jonathan Fuller, Nick Peterson, and Mark Smoot, the record is a menagerie of angular guitars, dynamic drumming, layered Rhodes pianos, and lush and harmony-laden vocals. The songs range from slow, heart-wrenching tales to vibrant guitar-driven numbers. Hints of Pink Floyd and the Beach Boys seep into songs that evoke the spirit of Davis's other projects, such as Sleepytime Trio and Bats & Mice. Davis’s fluid, effortless vocals often pair with Aimee Argote’s rich harmonies to devastating effect, held together and accentuated by brilliantly blended guitar work and a unique, powerful rhythm section.

All "abettors" bring their own styles and unique visions to these songs resulting in a flair for the unusual. It is to Davis’s credit that he harnesses and directs the strengths of the individuals on the record to maximize their contributions to each song. Each member’s skill on the full-length is precisely measured and placed for optimum effect in Davis’s grand design and sublime songwriting. Aided & Abetted also features a multimedia section that highlights the making of the album and a comprehensive look at each contributing member. Davis provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the album’s maturation, from lyrics to studio footage to rough sketches of certain songs in mp3 form. He has provided listeners with not only a solid, glowing album, but also the album’s direct, hands-on development. This collaborative effort promises to be one that will certainly transfix listeners during multiple casual and intense encounters alike.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Careful, lush psychedelic-flavored rock, March 4, 2005

By 

Mark Pritchard (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Aided & Abetted (Audio CD)

Harmonies and intensely arranged songs abound on this interesting release. Somewhat resembling some of the more lush sounds of Olivia Tremor Control. My initial reaction was somewhat negative, but I re-ordered the tracks and now like the album much better when I listen to it in my preferred order.