Bensh
Vienna, Austria / UK
Fanfarlo, Beck, Velvet Underground
Bensh have described their sound as “self-stylized noise pop” which doesn’t really hint at what they sound like, but that’s not their fault, I’m not sure there is an apt way to describe their music. The sound morphs from 90’s pop to 60’s avant-garde rock, it’s a band that is clearly influenced by the sonic exploration of Beck, The Beatles and Velvet Underground. Bensh is a trio of men who poke and prod at their synths, guitars and electronic drums to come up with strange yet alluring sounds. Certain tracks like “Doubt” are straightforward enough to seem normal but with multiple listens you’ll notice how odd the synths are laying against the organic drums and acoustic guitars, or the way the singer lazily over-pronounces each word. It’s remarkable really, they’ve created a sound that has the perfect appeal – it’s just strange enough to get the critic’s attention and yet there is enough melody and rhythm to appeal to the masses.
Bensh is made up of three men from Austria and the UK, Benjamin Zombori, Severin Zoolord and Sion Trevor. The project pivots around Zombori, the singer, who’s been traveling all over the world since 2004 picking up bits and pieces of musical inspiration as he went along; he’s worked with The Strokes in London and Sigur Ros in Reykjavik and now he’s focusing his attention on his own project and it’s debut album, Clues. The band has been touring for the last year and half, recently swinging by SXSW where they made a splash. They have not announced plans to come stateside again but when they do we highly suggest catching them live, it’ll be worth it.
