Customer Reviews

The Ax in the Oak

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I saw Ben Weaver open for Josh Ritter a few years back (2006?); he was alone on stage with a piano. His lyrics were stark and rich, reminiscent of Tom Waits and certainly Leonard Cohen, as other reviewers of Ben Weaver music have noted. I enjoyed the music enough to purchase an album, however it took me a few years to get around to it, but it was with this live experience in mind when I put "The Ax In The Oak" into my CD player. The lyrics were as I remembered: earthy, a little dark, and infused with wildlife imagery, specifically birds.

What was unexpected was the experimental music and digital beat background on some of the tracks. Again, when I saw Weaver live all he had was the piano, so maybe this is typical of his recorded songs, but I was not expecting it. Some examples are a bouncing ping pong ball, and what sounds like an idling chainsaw in "Alligators and Owls". I think it all works; I enjoy hearing artists infuse non-traditional music sources into their compositions, and I think Weaver has a good ear for it. I am curious to hear his older albums and see how they stack up against this one.

Worthy, I think, of a blind buy.

Another great effort from Mr. Weaver.

More electronic influence than previous releases but still coarse enough to be both disturbing and serene.

I could go on, but I'll spare you. Just give it a listen...start with number 10.