Out of Towner (Dig)

Ben Human | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 14, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Unique Records
• ASIN: B0007NB9O6
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #901,552 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. In Tray

2. Take Me to Las Vegas

3. Talk Is Cheap

4. "The Answer" (Skit 1)

5. The Out of Towner

6. Angry Computer

7. "Mix It Up" (Skit 2)

8. Downtown Brown

9. The Werewolf Break

10. In Control

11. "That's Millie" (Skit 3)

12. Daddy's Back

13. The Right Hand of Doom

14. Caipiranha

15. "Ich Spreche Englisch" (Skit 4)

16. The Ben Identity

17. Out Tray

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Outta town, outta mind, July 6, 2005

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Out of Towner (Dig) (Audio CD)

UK's Ben Human (real name: Ben Addison of the band Cordoroy) returns with his second album, "The Out of Towner." It's a fun tangle of percussive electronica, fun sampling, and pleasant ditties that sometimes work, but also sometimes crumble.

A sweep of electronica and the announcement, "Ben Human...." A growl. "NOTHING can stop... the mind of a MADMAN (echoing)." Wow, with an intro like that, can the music possibly compete? Well, in truth, it can't -- the peppy electronic "Take Me To Las Vegas" and tribal trip of "Talk Is Cheap" seem a bit long-running by comparison.

But that changes with the introduction of heavy loungey downtempo, alien techno, raw electropop, solemn church music,and a funky Latin beat. These songs are sprinkled with odd little samples, and in between several are sample tracks only a few seconds long: "Ya gotta mix it up a little. Ya gotta LIVE, sweetie!" "Why can't you be more human?" "I made a decision to move to Germany..."

The loungey downtempo is where Ben Human stumbles -- almost everyone does this, and his loungey-electro-jazzy songs add little to the listening experience. "The Out Of Towner" shines mainly on the more offbeat tracks -- alien techno and wild beats over a driving electronica melody, with plenty of aural quirks.

In other words: go fast, young Human.

Human's electronica sounds best when he's moving it along fast and breathtakingly, with tribal drums and odd "oog!" noises. The one exception? "The Ben Identity," a delicate cross between a church hymn, a computer and a music box. Forsake thy lounge, Ben, and go for this delicious stuff instead. But in the meantime, rely on the alien-tribal thing.

The lounge numbers bog down "The Out of Towner," but the fast, slightly wild sound keeps Ben Human's sophomore album going. Flawed, but definitely worth listening to.

3.0 out of 5 stars Ben Human - The Out Of Towner, May 16, 2011

By 

scoundrel - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Out Of Towner (Audio CD)

So, for those who assumed that acid jazz died a quiet death in the mid-90s, Ben Human comes to prove them wrong. "Take Me to Las Vegas" puts its emphasis on the keyboard line and adds some warm chord stabs and a beat to help carry the jazz, while "Talk is Cheap" keeps things wobbly. Oddly enough, "Angry Computer" starts off with some ominous drones before the funk kicks in, whereas "The Werewolf Break" isn't as hairy as its title may suggest. "Daddy's Back," with its requisite _Seinfeld_ sample, ends up swinging, and "Caipiranha" goes into some fast breaks with a juicy stand-up bass line. A nice bit of fun.