Brendan Benson
‘My Old, Familiar Friend’
(Echo/Co-Op)

Brendan Benson’s fourth album, and his first since The Raconteurs made him a household name, ‘My Old, Familiar Friend’ arrives just in time for its chirpy, sunny harmonies to slot into summer soundtracks everywhere. Heavy on the production values, it’s rich with strings and a plush, lush, velvet sound that take these eleven slices of nostalgia deep into the past. The jaunty ‘Garbage Day’ has a rich, almost Bacharachesque quality to it, while ‘Feel Like Taking You Home’ mixes the ominous with the jittery to create one of this album’s highlights. Away from the limelight of The Raconteurs and the shadow of Jack White, Benson’s knack for perfect, disaffected yet sunshiny pop really flourishes, albeit best in small, bitesize doses.

Mischa Pearlman