Ben de la Cour - Under a Wasted Moon

  by Neil Palmer

published: 6 / 4 / 2011

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'Under a Wasted Moon' by Ben de la Cour is a sparse, haunting album in the great tradition of American singer-songwriters. De la Cour weaves a good yarn. He's as rich in melody, just listen to 'Sobriety and the Woman' or 'Down in Babylon', as he is in storytelling. Style wise he leans, possibly too heavily, on one of his heroes Townes Van Zandt, even down to his phrasing, particularly on 'The Ballard of John Runner', but while there's not many that can stand up to even being mentioned in the same breath as Van Zandt, de la Cour stands tall and proud. We need emerging artistes like de la Cour to nudge us towards the places our everyday reality does it's best to exclude. Whilst not quite matching Van Zandt's heart breaking pathos, which an appreciation of exponentially increases after you've seen Van Zandt's DVD biopic 'Be Here To Love Me' it must be said, the raw emotion of the album still shines through. On the lighter, jauntier moments, it's not all doom laden angst here, de la Cour's reverie recalls the lilting tones of Swedish indie pop/folk hero Jens Lekman. Comparisons aside, de la Cour has made a genuinely heartfelt début deserving of an audience. Maybe stay up too late, drink too much, dim the lights too low, and play 'Under a Wasted Moon'. Let it wash over you and it might just become the emotional catharsis you've been seeking.

Track Listing:-

1 Down in Babylon
2 Sobriety and the Woman
3 The Ballad of John Runner
4 Oh Mount Shasta
5 The River Song
6 Goodnight
7 The Dagger
8 Three Days
9 The Martyr
10 Just Another Leaving Song

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/Bendelacour
http://www.bendelacour.com/
http://bendelacour.bandcamp.com/
https://twitter.com/ben_delacour
https://www.instagram.com/cobradunlee/

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