Ben Sommer's Super Brain Album Review
Ben Sommer has no one but himself to blame for the lateness of this review. Super Brain was released last year around November. He offered us the ability to stream I Married a Prostitute off the album back in September, intended as a hype machine gearing up for the release. However, I knew I would need material if Aretha Franklin didn't pass on to the big buffet in the sky. I held my review back until I could put the final touches on the Ben Sommer Weak-a-palooza. Here it is.If you are not a fan of progressive rock n' roll, you are not going to understand this record. If you are not a fan of odd time signatures, irregular use of melody, no discernable chorus lines, and musical interludes that seem to never end, this is not a record for you. If the only progressive rock you think you have heard is the Australian Pink Floyd or Trees by Rush, then you are not going to like this record. I, however, find it to surpass Ben's first record America'd.
America'd, in many ways, was more political and pop oriented than Super Brain. It had a more melodic tone to it and less odd time shifts. I tried to count the time signature shifts and intricate chord progressions, but I ran out of digits on my hand. It's a lot. You will be listening to a song like Dark Gray Matter and a soft guitar riff is repeated only to drop away in favor of a keyboard/computer/synth futuristic sound. This song especially needs to be brought to the forefront because of it's intricate nature. There is so much going on in this five minute song, it's more of a journey than a destination song.
A song like Dark Gray Matter displays Ben's strong musical background. Ben's not making punk rock music here with an easy 4/4 beat. His music has Swizz Beats yo. Even if I wasn't holding the review back, it would have taken me months to really understand this album. One thing is for sure, the lyrical content is more literal than Super Brain's predecessor America'd. America'd focused on Ben's political thoughts on the backward nation we currently live in, which was a theme that carried through each song. Super Brain doesn't have a constant theme running through it. Each song is an Apollo 11 capsule of prog rock.
I try to find albums that you can put on and fuck to. Albums with an AC/DC like predictable beat help white guys find the rhythm needed to satisfy his woman. I rate albums based on how wet the woman's vagina is going to be just by hearing the album alone. This presents a big problem with Super Brain. Super Brain is the equivalent of telling a woman "I have herpes, let's screw." It just won't get you laid. That being said, I love it. I have listened to the album *checks iTunes plays* 16 times and each time I do I find a new instrument weaves into the threads of Ben's Super Brain sweater. Songs like Cadaverism sound like the musically analogous to a zombie chase scene. It starts out with a low, bumbling growl like a reverbed death metal vocal track. The music frenzied and crescendoing to the zombie chase scene, where you are eventually eaten. The middle "ism section" (Consumerism, Militarism, Cadvarism) of Super Brain is a collection of little musical vignettes about a minute long each.
De Profundis is a 2112 sounding instrumental at about the 2:51 mark it sounds exactly like Rush's 2112. This song took me the most time to fully understand and I can confidently say it's way to profoundis for a guy who makes dick jokes for a living.
This album is a fantastic clinic in 21st Century progressive rock. The use of current technology to help augment the somber mood of some of the songs is sublime. Ben's star has never been more resplendent. Yea I had to look that last word up to try and match the IQ of Mr. Sommer.
I highly recommend Super Brain if you are into progressive metal/rock. It will take you a journey reminiscent of the first time you heard Animals by Pink Floyd. My usual scoring rating system doesn't work, so I'll go with 5 jean clad dicks out of five.
Buy the record here.
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