In a market that’s become increasingly flooded with apathy, irony and quick fixes, the songwriting of Ben Wise is a refreshing blend of honesty and melodicism that will stand the test of time.
With production that balances perfectly between casual and refined, the songs not only blend decades of influences, but firmly stake their claim on those to come. Vocally, it’s Brian Wilson, Elvis Costello and Jason Falkner all in one neat parcel; layers of vocal harmonies crash-land on soulful, yet direct lead vocal deliveries. The instrumentation is ‘guitar-based rock’, with the tasteful addition of keys, bells and melodica perfectly floating atop a powerful rhythm section. Sonically full and dense, the production allows every ounce of emotion to pour right out of the speakers.
Starting with the upbeat, hook-laden title track, the album changes moods: intimate (Until Daylight), inspirational (The Program), texture-rich (Suburbia), motivational (Fleeing The Magnet), bashing (Simple As That) and all-out dynamic attack on the senses (Where Dreams Are Bound) transformations while maintaining its cohesion and statement.
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A North Carolina native, Wise is the son of two music-teaching parents and began playing piano and singing at the age of 6. He spent years fronting various punk/DIY bands in NC’s indie - drenched music scene and then touring to gain exposure elsewhere before relocating to NYC and eventually LA. After switching focus to studio and production work briefly, he returned to songwriting and spent over a year writing and recording his 10-song solo debut, the auto-biographical Beside The Dial.
Finally, the years of songwriting meshed perfectly with his approach to production, yielding his finest album work to date.
