Crafting his talent in his parent’s basement, using an old piano, a PC, and various gadgets, Ben McGarvey managed to catch the spotlight on his acoustic melodies and hooks and now, straight from Manchester and from Ben to Minute Taker, his new album “Last Things” promises to be a debut album to remember. Narcissism is the inspiration behind some of the songs as well as the album’s artwork and we can’t deny that his work is a quest for an ideal sound.
What strikes our attention the most, right from the opening track and single “Merge”, is his Thom Yorke- style lyricism and those distorted beats that create a layered atmosphere just like in a Björk production. Pretty remarkable right? This sweet and almost evocative electronica is somehow accessible thanks to his modern songwriting and it aims to touch our feelings even in more abstract dimensions: “Wait For Me” reminds of Moby’s soul-altering beats.
Second single “Let It Go” explores the genre of “digi-folk” and even though it may sound like a safe choice compared to other tracks, it shifts from a Hudson-Taylor kind of song to a storming synth piece that balances the album and enhances his style. “Alkali” takes us to a darker yet dreamy place like now dissolved Belgian band Venus, and “Last Thing” becomes introspective, audacious like the motif of “Echo 2” but always melodic and haunting until the end with songs like “Somewhere Under Water” and closing number “(A Homage To) Generation X”.
Minute Taker is a young man who takes his inspiration from the established and contemporary musician and channels it through sweeping melodies and dense vocal layering creating a piece of work that sounds honest, original, and most of all makes us wonder on his future. Pop is just a word we can use to express how easy it is to relate to this album for “Last Thing” is a passionate beginning that is not afraid to experiment in this ultimately conceptual album.