The Alternative to Love

Brendan Benson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 22, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: V2 North America
• ASIN: B0007MEYIU
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #139,427 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Brendan Benson is the kind of guy who still sits by the AM radio late at night, spinning the tuning dial from one end to the other in a hopeless search for the perfect pop song. Little does he know he's considerably helped his own plight by making an album full of them. Unlucky in both love and money, the Detroit singer-songwriter has plenty to chew on with his third disc. Using wistful bubblegum melodies and crisp '60s harmonies, in tunes like "Feel Like Myself" and "Cold Hands (Warm Heart)" he lashes out at former lovers and A&R men with equal venom. "I always wind up screwed without a kiss," he hisses on the Phil Spector inspired "The Pledge." But, in the end the man who counts Jack White and Beck as devoted fans, knows impending success is the best payback. "Maybe I've been caught red-handed, making off like a lucky bandit/ This wasn't how I planned it," he gloats on the title track. It's really hard to argue. --Aidin Vaziri

Product Description

SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICE - He's neither a singer-songwriter (though of course his music is impeccably constructed and observed) nor a simple pop musician (though every note he's ever played is catchy as hell), and even 'cult artist' doesn't cut it anymore, given the way fans, critics and DJs in both the U.S. and U.K. embraced 2002's 'Lapalco'. Three years later though 'THE ALTERNATIVE TO LOVE' is long awaited and from the revved-up guitar chug of 'Spit It Out' to the swoon of 'The Pledge' to the piano tones of 'Biggest Fan', it doesn't disappoint, offering up a dozen shimmering examples of dynamic rock'n'roll that's both joyous and bittersweet. The man that Jack White calls 'the greatest songwriter he has ever met' is about to make himself a household name --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Benson finally reaches power pop nirvana, April 28, 2005

By 

David O'Brien (Dublin 18 Ireland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Alternative to Love (Audio CD)

I feel compelled to write this review after reading Mr Otwell's savage mauling of this album.I don't like to criticise the opinion of others but I really must protest at someone who reckons that Benson has lost his ability to write good music.

The simple truth is that 'Alternative To Love' is a masterpiece.

I already own 'Lapalco' and 'One Mississippi' but I always felt that they were patchy affairs.One or two songs on either album hinted at Benson's talent but over all there were too many half tunes to contend with.

On 'Alternative To Love', Benson really gets it right.

The songs are more straight forward power pop than before.

Musical highlights are many.I especially love the title song 'Alternative To Love'.It's great to hear layer upon layer of harmonies and great guitar work.The harmonica solo is a big bonus as well.I also love 'Biggest Fan'.It's the work of a genius.The keyboard (I think it's a Moog or a Melletron ?) dominates the track.Other highlights for me would be 'Flesh And Bone'.It's a nice melancholic track. Benson achieves the right mix of sadness and joy.

Any non-believers out there should listen to 'I Feel Like Myself Again' to dispel any nagging doubts about this man's genius.This song is an anthem to the power pop generation.It's a song similar to 'Surprise' by Semisonic - an uplifting song about finding your confidence again.A wonderful wonderful optimistic track - everything a power pop song should be.

I was doing a bit of research on this album and I found out that Benson recorded the album and then handed the tapes over to the producer with the instruction to 'fill out' the sound.This was a masterstroke.The producer added keyboards, vocal dubs and other technical flourishes to give the album a fuller sound.

I wish more artists would take a leaf out of his book and do the same !

I believe that at the moment Benson is collaborating with his friend Jack White of The White Stripes on new material.I'm not expecting too much from this.I can't see how White's back to basic blues approach will blend in with Benson's intricate power pop.Maybe I will be pleasantly surprised....

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's power pop., June 8, 2005

By 

Luke Rounda "ThreeStarSmash.com" (Lawrence, KS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Alternative to Love (Audio CD)

It's power pop. People that listen to music and focus on the "atrocious" lyrics seem to be missing the point of pop music: it's catchy, hummable and happy. Certainly there were people back in the day who despised the ambiguity of early Beatles lyrics (" 'I want to hold your hand'? WHOSE hand!?") but anyone with their head on straight won't dispute the music's enduring nature. Philosophize all you want, but Benson's cheap tricks here are designed merely to entertain, and they accomplish just that. He just wants you to want him. He needs you to need him. He... well, you get the point.

Frankly, it's easy to see how Jack White from the White Stripes claims Benson as an influence with quirky, bouncy tunes like the title track "Alternative to Love" peppering this release. Although Benson's music is pop devoid of the blues-aping garage rock that defines the White Stripes, Benson and White are kindred souls in terms of their oddball nature. Both essentially write quirky pop songs; Benson's are more complex. Consider Benson to be the Rubik's Cube to the White Stripes' Whack-A-Mole.

Four strong tracks open the disc: "Spit It Out"'s restrained guitar strums and twee sound effects give way to a soaring jack-in-the-box chorus; "Cold Hands (Warm Heart)" is a twinkling headbobber in the fine tradition of popsmiths everywhere; the straightforward "I Feel Like Myself Again" with its backhand-to-the-face chord changes and yet another singalong chorus demand the listener's attention, and the aforementioned title track sounds like the soundtrack to furry little animals dancing in a forest somewhere. If that scenario bothers you thematically, just mentally cut the chorus out and paste it over a Tarantino torture scene. There, that's better. Unfortunately, these four tracks strike this listener as the strongest on the record.

A cannibalized riff opens "Get It Together," and the overwrought "The Pledge" with its self-important timpani and church bell spiced instrumentation is just flat-out annoying. "Between Us" is a serviceable closer, but doesn't make up for the bland nature of all the unnamed tracks which precede it.

Not terrible as some have made it out to be, but not brilliance on par with the Beatles, either. For that, Benson needs to make a solid record that can stand on its own; although it contains a few good songs, "The Alternative to Love" is not that record by a long shot.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Power-Pop Gem From Benson!, March 23, 2005

By 

J. P. Leenaarts "Mabrymusic" (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Alternative to Love (Audio CD)

I miss the Jellyfish days so much, and the Posies have had their day as well, so usher in the new wave of Power Pop masterminds and welcome the 3rd major release for Brendan. I've been a fan since the "One Mississippi' days (since Jason Falkner helped him out) and he's been great ever since. I was surprised to see Falkner wasn't assisting with Alternative to Love, but it's good to see that Brendan knows how to carry the weight on his own too. This is another of the best albums I've heard so far this year; punchy, vibrant, solid production. Now I just can't wait to see what he and Jack White have been stirring up! Check this disc out for sure!