Das Ben

Million Miles Away

(Independent)

(3 Stars / 5)

 

Million Miles Away is the debut album for Wellington singer-songwriter Ben Sedley. He describes his music as acoustic punk and seems to integrate stories nicely into his songs. I have to say that it's nice to hear about Cuba Mall and Indigo in the music, although this possibly does limit some of the appeal. While the album is predominantly acoustic tracks, the standout track is the distorted electric guitared NYC, with a sound that I thought suited Sedley's voice far better than the acoustic tracks. The eight tracks on the album definitely show some promise for future releases.

Das Ben's Million Miles Away is equal parts The Violent Femmes meets Jonathan Richmond or Billy Bragg. Wellington's Ben Sedley wields his acoustic guitar with the punk aesthetic of a Ramone as he bemoans why the technology he imagined as a kid hasn't materialised (Jet Pack) while elsewhere he ponders what he's done wrong in relationships (Blood on my Shoes). At times he's joined by a band for several rapid-fire tracks with loads of references to his home town. It's got a nice lo-fi feel with NYC and Planet Me showcasing Sedley's lyrical gift.

Lindsay Davis

 

Review from the Package 15 March 2006

 

Das Ben
Million Miles Away

Das Ben (a.k.a Ben Sedley) has been doing his acoustic 'anti-punk' (a.k.a folk-punk) thing for a few years now. Wellington audiences might have seen him doing the rounds - he writes some good energy songs; and comparisons to Billy Bragg are apt. Whereas Bragg's sense of humour, irony and anti-Capitalism are always sharp and on point, Das Ben is still developing. Vocally - and song construction-wise - there are some traces of early Elvis Costello in his sound too. And of course he's weaned himself of the mid-90s acoustic punk-folk offerings from the likes of The Mouldy Peaches, Hammell On Trial and the queen of them all, Ani DiFranco.

Lyrically, Das Ben's work can be a little too self-conscious still (some times I feel like a man in a life boat/No one for miles I'm lost at sea) and references to real places in songs will always help to date the work; having said that the song about going out on the town around Wellington (which I recall from his earlier EP) is still a good upbeat pop-punk ditty. The song 'NYC' lapses in to the self-conscious name-dropping issue, however. This album is brief and to the point, but in terms of sound quality it's a vast improvement from the earlier EP, and the songs are growing stronger. They're helped by band arrangements too (Pet Johnson plucking the deep gut-strings, Ant Davies hitting the skins) and Sedley is not just growing as a writer, clearly time treading the boards for Das Ben is serving his act well.
Simon Sweetman
 
Review from Salient 20 March 2006
 
Das Ben

Million Miles Away EP

Reviewer: Bea Turner

How do the following lyrics make you feel?

'I died in 'Frisco at The Stones / I died with Paul at the time of Abbey Road / Sid Vicious and I will never grow old'. Do they make you want to laugh hysterically at the clunky pretentiousness? I did. But then a minute later, I was confronted with 'I was with Diana in the back of the car', and I realized that not even David Brent at his most cringingly ignorant could write such a song. Das Ben is taking the piss, from the kiddy punk acoustic guitar to the deadpan humour in the lyrics. My favourite line in the entire EP is from Planet Me: 'He said you only need three chords so I wrote it with four'. What else do you want, huh?

I'm going to let you in on a secret: I've never seen him live. But I'm pretty sure that Ben's a fucking funny guy with a keen ear for the ridiculous and a rather good wit. I'd put money on him being a gazillion times better live than he comes off here. Not that this is bad. Its just that the production is scratchy and hollow-sounding, and I can't escape the niggling feeling that the man live would surely add up to more than this one dimensional debut. Das Ben has been playing his brand of acoustic punk since 2002, and has a devout fan base. That is why I'm suspicious that this has missed the mark. A man who happily refers to himself as "Lou Reed on an OK day" and trades in a mixture of play-school rhymes ('we went to Midnight / she ordered a flat white...we went to Civic Square / she said why are we here?) and anti-corporate witticisms is the kind of man I want to spend an evening with, not his pale shade. God, I've got to get out more.

 

Das Ben: Million Miles Away

Das Ben is the guitar slingin', big voiced alter-ego of the otherwise mild mannered Ben Sedley. This debut album includes updates or reinterpretations of some tracks from his earlier EP, as well as a bunch of new songs. Joining him on this outing are some well chosen session musos including Pet Johnson (Breathe) and Ant Davies (Seven Sons). He has wisely brought in the twin knob twiddling talents of Steve Gallagher for production and Mike Gibson for mastering. Das Ben writes a fine pop song; only these aren't pop songs. They are instead dressed in the finest acoustic punk/anti-folk paraphernalia, giving him a unique home within the local scene. Combining the Kiwiana of McGlashan, the politics of Bragg and the attitude of Reid with the storytelling abilities of all three, Das Ben likes a good lyrical namecheck, often coupling it with a telling wit. The swagger and snarl of Brett Stanton's guitar suits his voice to a T on Every One Of Us and Million Miles Away, while at other times the instruments take a step back and just let him tell the story.