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June 17, 2009

New Brendan Benson - "Feel Like Taking You Home" (Stereogum Premiere)

thubmnail icon: New Brendan Benson - "Feel Like Taking You Home" (Stereogum Premiere)

Something tells me people are gonna be keyed into Brendan Benson's forthcoming solo LP more than his previous three combined. Which isn't to say One Mississippi, Lapalco, and 2005's The Alternative To Love aren't worth listening to repeatedly (they offer brilliant bits of seasoned power-pop), or that Brendan didn't get his share of media spotlight in the past (his "Cold Hands (Warm Heart)" was in Bones and an Apple ad). Just that all of that happened before this happened. It'd be fair to call Nashville-and-London recorded My Old, Familiar Friend LP "long awaited" since we first started hearing demos for it two years ago. One of those ("Poised And Ready") made the final tracklist, but our first official listen comes via the pulsing, lusty keyboards and harmonized come-ons of "Feel Like Taking You Home."

Brendan Benson - "Feel Like Taking You Home" (MP3)

And to start you off on your pillaging of his prior discog, here's the title track to his last set:

Brendan Benson - "Alternative To Love" (MP3)

The My Old, Familiar Friend LP is out 8/18 via ATO. Here's a tracklist:

01 "A Whole Lot Better"
02 "Eyes On The Horizon"
03 "Garbage Day"
04 "Gonowhere"
05 "Feel Like Taking You Home"
06 "You Make A Fool Out Of Me"
07 "Poised And Ready"
08 "Don't Want To Talk"
09 "Misery"
10 "Lesson Learned"
11 "Borrow"

Posted at 10:17 AM by amrit in ,
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10 Comments

Great track...excited for this album. Loved alternative to love and this is long overdue!

Posted by: Greg at 06/17/09 10:45 AM | Reply
Score = 6 Vote up Vote down

Not sold on this track. I think Benson is at his best with more stripped down arrangements and traditional instruments. What I mean is that the synths on this song are doing him no favors. That said, still excited for this record.

By the way, killer album art.

Posted by: the truth at 06/17/09 10:51 AM | Reply
Score = 3 Vote up Vote down
Scottish Friction

yeah the album art is really cool. have to agree with 'the truth' - not sold yet, its a bit diet-raconteurs. and is stereogum saying 'Alternative To Love' was better than 'Lapalco'?? get away

Posted by: Scottish Friction profile link at 06/17/09 11:36 AM | Reply
Score = 3 Vote up Vote down

the album art is by portland artist Evan B Harris

http://www.evanbharris.com/

truly amazing stuff. He also did the album art for laura gibson's two albums.

Posted by: dave gulick at 06/17/09 12:30 PM | Reply
Score = 4 Vote up Vote down

A Rhodes electric piano through a leslie is not a "synth"

Posted by: Mo at 06/17/09 2:03 PM | Reply
Score = -1 Vote up Vote down

I agree, I'm not sold on the track yet, either. It doesn't have the warm pop twinges that made his other singles so great. It is great to see he's putting out another solo album, though: I read an interview he did about a year ago where he said he was going to retire from solo work and focus exclusively on The Raconteurs. Thank goodness he changed his mind. The music world needs Brendan Benson albums!

Speaking of, count me among those who liked The Alternative to Love better than Lapalco.

Posted by: Bruce at 06/18/09 9:47 PM | Reply
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joy

he sounds like yoni wolf now?

Posted by: joy profile link at 06/21/09 6:58 PM | Reply
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one mississippi > lapalco > the alternative to love >>> this new song

Posted by: seth profile link at 06/24/09 12:32 PM | Reply
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Poised and Ready was not the only demo that showed up on the album. Go Nowhere, Eyes On the Horizon, and Lesson Learned were also demos that showed up originally on Brendan's MySpace that ended up making the album.

Posted by: Melissa at 06/30/09 1:30 AM | Reply
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Also, the album version of Eyes On the Horizon is AMAZING.

Posted by: Melissa at 06/30/09 1:32 AM | Reply
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