Bell; Ben: Patchwork Cacophony

Patchwork Cacophony is the solo debut from Fusion Orchestra 2 and Broken Parachute multi-instrumentalist Ben Bell, his largely keyboard driven work a labour of love over several years. Now however it has been completed and unleashed to convey, in rather tasty fashion, its reasonably gentle melodies. From the off it's clear Bell is a talent and one who knows how to harness those skills into songs which as often as not don't need vocals to tell their stories. The lengthy "Sketch Of A Day" opens in hugely impressive style, a slowly building crescendo of ideas brought to bear with a focus and intent that so many of these type of albums lack. However what really sets Patchwork Cacophony aside from the avalanche of these solo endeavours where keys take the lead, is Bell's deft touch and vision. This isn't an album full of cheap samples, patches and sounds, instead this is a fully realised beast that veers from Vangelis to Jarre via Marillion and Yes, all the while being more song based than the former pair and less than the latter. Leaving the whole album sitting far from the expected and the norm, without ever feeling overly experimental. In fact it is the easy familiarity that makes this lengthy introduction so immediately likeable.

The second mini-epic shows up as "Brinkmanship"; piano a pointed introduction to a song that takes no time to suddenly get going as its fanfare drips with glorious 70s style retro chic. In between, the short (3 minutes or so) "Dance Of The Fleet-footed Heffalumps" and "No U-Turn" bring a welcome relief to the grander fare delivered so well elsewhere.

The closing nine tracks come together to make "Dawn Light", a sprawling piece that also brings the album's first and reasonably strong vocals into view. Bell is an expressive singer who conveys his stories well, injecting a believably urgent vibe as he does so, although unsurprisingly it is the music which still makes the strongest mark. Across "Changes In The Air", "We Can't Stay" and "Rest My Feet" a variety of attacks are utilised, the ever altering dynamics of this collection of songs a real strength of the message they bring. The punchy "Final Sunset" is jaunty and jolly in a manner not really expected and in a way it maybe stands out too proud from the rest of the album; a less refined Kansas suddenly evoked, before "Twilight Procession" brings proceedings to a close with a more anticipated gravitas.

Patchwork Cacophony is, in places, a little rough around the edges and a small part of its appeal does come from the less than cutting edge position in which it is happy to sit. However these are minor quibbles on an album that pretty much delivers from start to finish and which knows instinctively how to get its message across.

Track Listing
1. Sketch of a Day
2. No U-Turn
3. Dance of the Fleet-Footed Heffalumps
4. Brinkmanship
5. Nylons for Parot
6. Dawn Light: Prelude
7. Dawn Light: Change in the Air
8. Dawn Light: No Time
9. Dawn Light: Reprise
10. Dawn Light: We Can't Stay
11. Dawn Light: Rest My Feet
12. Dawn Light: Scorched Earth
13. Dawn Light: Final Sunset
14. Dawn Light: Twilight Procession

Added: October 28th 2015
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Ben Bell online
Hits: 1691
Language: english

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