Ben Slavin - Palepolis

by Malcolm Carter

published: 4 / 5 / 2015

Label: Apogeo Records
Format: CD

American singer-songwriter Ben Slavin creates a mesmerising song cycle based on his experiences from living in Naples for the last ten years

Review

Ben Slavin, an American who has called Naples home for the last ten years, graduated from Arizona State University before moving to Milan where he formed a duo with Odette DiMaio called The March. The duo recorded an EP and played in over a hundred venues throughout Europe and the USA. ‘Palepolis’ is Slavin’s debut solo album; a song cycle about his experience of living in the Southern Italian city. The city and surroundings have certainly flavoured Slavin’s work here. While Slavin’s music has often been labelled chamber folk, it’s hard to put any label on the overall sound he produces. Slavin’s time spent studying to become a baritone opera singer has certainly paid off now he’s living in Naples; while tracks like ‘Eruption, Floods and Signora Concetta’ have a European flavour and are almost poppy in their construction and delivery (and also extremely and surprisingly addictive and instantly appealing) songs such as ‘Lucia Lies in Purgatory’ are really a showcase for Slavin’s expressive and emotive vocals. The latter is a hauntingly, sparse piece of music. Shorn of any real musical backing, it’s all down to the vocals here. Slavin’s crystal clear voice will send chills down the listener's spine. The song was recorded on the altar of a 17th century baroque basilica (San Severo where the rest of the album was also recorded). Together with ghostly backing voices and a faint sound, which Slavin achieved by recording running up staircases together with the sound of falling coins, results in one of the most chilling pieces of music you’ll likely to hear all year. In contrast more personal songs like ‘As We Grow Older’ are more familiar singer-songwriter fare. What makes such tracks stand out from the plethora of others in this field is Slavin’s vocals. It appears that Slavin is responsible for all the vocal sounds on ‘Palepolis’; if this is the case then not only is Slavin a first-rate singer he’s also an inspired one. What would have been a pleasant, typical singer-songwriter tune that could have been cut at any time within the last half-century is saved from mediocrity by not only Slavin’s main vocal, but the little vocal touches that occur in the background. Slavin obviously knows that he’s a singer of no little worth, and it’s almost impossible to convey in words just how exceptional his vocals are on ‘Palepolis’, but that’s only half the story; his songwriting is also first-class. The string and banjo-led ‘Home’ is miles away from the aforementioned ‘Lucia Lies in Purgatory’; the only distinct connection is those vocals. The actual song couldn’t be cut from a more dissimilar cloth but it’s to Slavin’s credit that he can mix such diverse styles of music on the same album without losing any of the thread. While a song like ‘Lucia’ might well take time to show all of its beauty to some listeners, tracks such as ‘Home’, ‘As We Grow Older’ and ‘Beauty and Filth’, despite being musically rich and deep, instantly reveal their charm. ‘Palepolis’ can be enjoyed on many levels. There is depth to all of the songs. Lyrically the listener can focus on the lyrics and go on this fascinating journey with Slavin, even though you don’t have to be an expat to appreciate Slavin’s observations. Many of the songs, ‘Unaccessible’ for one, are just the opposite of that title. The songs are instantly accessible and waste no time in getting under your skin. And to top it all there is that voice; Slavin really is in a class of his own vocally and when coupled with his own songs detailing subjects he is passionate about the results are quite simply stunning.

Track Listing:-

1 Beauty and Filth
2 Unaccessible
3 Tie & Bound
4 Poulenc's Grave
5 For Free
6 Palepolis
7 Lucia Lies in Purgatory
8 Eruption, Floods and Signora Concet
9 As We Grow Older
10 Home