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YOUTH CORRESPONDENT
"It's still like la-la's and stuff going on."
These are the thoughts of Ben Kweller, reflecting on his new album, "On My Way."
The comment makes perfect sense, given that his last album--aptly titled "Sha Sha"--is full of lyrics such as "sha sha, sha doo," "bop bop" and "ooh ooh ooh ooh ah ah ah."
But Kweller, a quirky 22-year-old pop-rock artist with a taste for crazy lyrics, has much more to say in a phone interview with it!.
"On My Way," due out on April 6, manages to have the same lively appeal as "Sha Sha"--with enough distinction to show that Kweller is (no pun intended) on his way to becoming more mature as a musician.
"Most of the songs have like four verses, as opposed to the two or three that were on 'Sha Sha.' I had a lot more to say, and a lot more thinking that I went through," Kweller says.
The title track is particularly mysterious. An eerie melody laced with mournful lyrics like "I want to kill this man/ but he turned around and ran/ I'll kill him with karate/ that I learned in Japan/ He couldn't see my face/ I wouldn't leave a trace/ I wouldn't use a bullet/ 'Cause a bullet's a disgrace" causes chills to go up the spine.
The next verses follow the same melody and come from the point of view of a thief, a listener, a friend and a lover.
The last verse includes: "I'm in love with someone who's as pretty as a flower/ Her life gives me power/ So I'm buying her a ring/ She makes hats with her hands/ She is such an artist, I'm her biggest fan/ and I'm teaching her to sing."
Kweller decided to let it! in on the mystery.
"I had the idea of starting the song out as a murderer, and then a thief, and then the center, like once you become a listener, that's the first step to becoming a better person.
"And then after a listener, you become a friend, and then a lover-- which is the ultimate."
Kweller's quirky, insightful lyrics steer away from the depressing.
"I guess one thing that I'm way into with my songs is sort of optimism," he says. "Usually there's a light at the end of the tunnel in my songs, and that's usually to just keep my own head up."
What a guy.
The new album is balanced with more upbeat tunes, like opening track "I Need You Back," "Hear Me Out" and "Hospital Bed" (which, by the way, opens with the insightful lyrics "la la la la la").
Retro rocketOne of the main differences between "On My Way" and "Sha Sha"--or any other album, quite frankly--is the way that it was recorded. Kweller sought the expertise of Ethan Johns, whose legendary producer/father, Glyn Johns, put out masterpieces such as the early Rolling Stones records, Led Zeppelin's "One" and The Beatles' "Let it Be."
"When we went to make 'On My Way,' Ethan basically had it set up the same way his dad would set up like the Rolling Stones," Kweller says.
Normally, the guitars, bass and drums would all be recorded separately and mixed together later. Instead, Kweller, bassist Josh Lattanzi, guitarist Mike Stroud (of Dashboard Confessional) and drummer Fred Eltringham were all in one room, playing without headphones.
As a result, the album has more of a live feel.
"It just makes a much more live, loose sounding recording, and so that was like a really fun change for me," Kweller says. "Because most of my favorite albums are records from the '60s, like early Dylan, records with The Band, Neil Young and Crazy Horse."
Piano manSome fans have compared Kweller to the likes of other popular artists such as Ben Folds and Weezer. Kweller accounts the Folds comparison to the fact that there aren't many male rock singers who also play the piano--and, of course, they have the same first name.
As a matter of fact, Kweller teamed up with Ben Folds and fellow artist Ben Lee to put out an EP under the name "The Bens."
"We all switched instruments; we all wanted to play instruments we'd never play," Kweller says. "So it was really kind of like musical chairs, you know--we'd just sort of pick an instrument and write a song."
While it was basically a one-time deal, he says, "It was really just such a great, fun experience, and I hope that down the road we write some more songs."
He admits that there are some similarities between Weezer and himself.
"The way 'Sha Sha' was recorded was like in a real mid-'90s sort of fashion with real kind of guitars and sort of that Weezery 'dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun' sort of vibe," Kweller says.
He thinks that "On My Way" has more of a relationship with artists of the '60s like The Kinks, The Stones and The Velvet Underground. He anticipates being compared with Neil Young more than Weezer--but there are still some "Weezery vibes" present in songs such as a guitar solo in "Hear Me Out."
Values hereKweller, quite accomplished at the age of 22, got an early start with late '90s grunge-rock band Radish in high school.
"In high school I was pretty much your greasy-haired sorta stoner kid that loved Nirvana," Kweller says. "I sort of had friends in all different scenes, but I definitely had my group of long-hair kids."
Kweller has come a long way since then. On the eve of releasing another album, he is conscious of not letting the harshness of the music industry get to him.
"It's just so important to remember why you started in the first place," he says.
Kweller points to The Strokes, The White Stripes and Bright Eyes as examples of bands who have not let the music industry compromise their music. Lately he has been a fan of friends Kings of Leon and Adam Green.
"The first Violent Femmes record is always in my CD player, as well as like Bob Dylan's 'Bringing It All Back Home' and 'Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere' by Neil Young," Kweller says.
And of course, there will always be room in his heart for The Beatles. "Ohhhh yeah, I looove the Beatles," he says.
And does he worry about selling out?
"I've realized the only time someone can sell out is when you stop singing from the heart and you start doing things in your music to try to have a mainstream hit," he says. "I'm so happy with the music that I'm making, and I really feel that it's exactly what I'm trying to say, coming straight from me.
"If it were to be on MTV or if I were to have a hit song, I'd be happy about it just because I know I'm not changing what I'm doing on an emotional level."
Kweller takes his energetic aura to the studio as well as the stage. He'll be hitting venues across the U.S. this spring with supporting act Death Cab For Cutie, stopping in the Virginia/D.C. area this week at Charlottesville's Starr Hill on April 3 and the 9:30 Club in D.C. on April 4.
Ben Kweller is on his way.
SARAH LYONS is a first-year student at the University of Virginia.