Albums
Ben Kweller
2006
Genre: Alternative
Release Date: 2006
By Adam Moerder
Reviewed October 27, 2006
Wistful sighs garnished with homogeneous Ben Folds-style accompaniment.
Any ex-Partridge Family member will tell you the main challenge being a teen musician rests on those make-or-break years between teenhood and adulthood-- that 18-24ish range where you ideally produce something profound, a rite of passage signifying the end of Weezer ripoffs and un-ironic lyrics about ice cream. For Ben Kweller, the clock's ticking. He's no 21st century Leif Garrett by any stretch of the imagination, but Kweller, like fellow former teen rocker Daniel John of Silverchair, appears uncertain of his next step after a short-lived grunge backwash band. Although his latest self-titled offering expresses a desire to sound adult, he overshoots the mark, creating an album of innocuous, world-wearied alt-pop that lacks the fun or energy to stay up past eleven.