Benny Divine’s impressive musical CV includes quantities such as The Gary Wrong Group, Wizzard Sleeve and Nashville’s prolific purveyor’s of Foghat-pop, Natural Child, but it was just a short year ago that Goner gave wide release to the Bênní debut album, I & II, which launched the new sub-genre we now know as “Hi-NRG New Age” and had its creator casually glancing over his shoulder for the rumored mobs of outraged Skyfax, Mannheim Steamroller and Windham Hill Records loyalists that could never quite catch up to his live performances, as they were not listed in back issues of TV Guide and Reader’s Digest: Large Print Editions. Whereas I & II was, as its title explicitly implicates, the combination of two previously-released cassettes, The Return is a nine-track song-cycle composed for the full-length format. Imagine this album as an alternative historical narrative: not as a source of soundtrack afterthought, but rather the initial spark of inspiration for an entire ’70s sub-genre of gritty crime and science fiction films. Additionally, the fuzzy electro-pop chops are just as impressive as the spacey burps and gurgles that made his debut so gripping.
Upcoming BENNI Shows
SEPTEMBER
21 - New Orleans, LA @ Santo's *
27 - Memphis, TN @ GONERFEST 15 !
28 - St. Louis, MO @ Foam *
29 - Chicago, IL @ Archie's Iowa Rockwell Tavern *
30 - Milwaukee, WI @ High Dive *
OCTOBER
1 - Detroit, MI @ Outer Limits *
2 - Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups *
3 - Nashville, TN @ The 5 Spot *
4 - New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa (Melt Test) #
25 - Atlanta, GA @ Adult Swim Bloodfeast
26 - Athens, HA @ tba
27 - Atlanta, GA @ Mess Around %
NOVEMBER
9 - Birmingham, AL @ Mom's
10 - Asheville, NC @ Fleetwood's
11 - Richmond, VA @ Shitty's
12 - NYC @ tba
13 - NYC @ The Glove
* w/ Heavy Lids
! w/ Lydia Lunch Retrovirus, Harlan T. Bobo, Gino & the Goons, Aquarian Blood, Bummer's Eve
# w/ Frankie & the Witch Fingers, Painted Hands, Planchettes
% w/ Protex
The one and only release from Maryland duo Circus Underwater is a Rosetta Stone for ambient music, dub techno, electronica and beyond. Bandcamp Album of the Day Sep 19, 2023
Very Good Album Review Haiku: S/T by Optic Sink
Music that makes me
feel unstoppable when I
feel I “can’t survive.”
(Note: This album is in my 2020 faves list, which will, again, be Very Ready for you whenever it is. I never stop listening.)
https://comeawaywithemd.com/very-good-haiku-a-2021-music-writing-experiment/2/ EMD