ben colby

BENJAMIN GOLBY

A Progress

Independent

As an integral member of indie pop outfit Split Seconds, who are undoubtedly one of Perth’s busiest and most promising new acts, you have to wonder how Benjamin Golby has found the time to complete second solo outing, A Progress.
The secret may be in Golby being older than his years would suggest, as portions of A Progress are simply Victorian in nature. When I Lapse is baroque pop from a time that should be long past, and is a classy pondering. The pedal steel laced Gone! is the type of pop tune that considering his credentials, you would expect Golby could write during a visit to the can.
For What It Is Worth ebbs and flows more than should be allowed in its brief duration, demanding repeated listens. It has one of those hooks that sneaks up on you like a serial killer. Having spent some time living in Hove must have rubbed off on the literate Golby who uses the Queen’s English with the grace of a playwright.
Golby’s musically and verbally dense take on pop/folk is unique around these parts, with A Progress being an even more risky effort than his debut. This album is more than a progress, it’s a damn revelation.

_CHRIS HAVERCROFT

xpressradio by X-Press Magazine

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