The Alternative to Love

SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICE - He's neither a singer-songwriter (though of course his music is impeccably constructed and observed) nor a simple pop musician (though every note he's ever played is catchy as hell), and even 'cult artist' doesn't cut it anymore, given the way fans, critics and DJs in both the U.S. and U.K. embraced 2002's 'Lapalco'. Three years later though 'THE ALTERNATIVE TO LOVE' is long awaited and from the revved-up guitar chug of 'Spit It Out' to the swoon of 'The Pledge' to the piano tones of 'Biggest Fan', it doesn't disappoint, offering up a dozen shimmering examples of dynamic rock'n'roll that's both joyous and bittersweet. The man that Jack White calls 'the greatest songwriter he has ever met' is about to make himself a household name

Brendan Benson is the kind of guy who still sits by the AM radio late at night, spinning the tuning dial from one end to the other in a hopeless search for the perfect pop song. Little does he know he's considerably helped his own plight by making an album full of them. Unlucky in both love and money, the Detroit singer-songwriter has plenty to chew on with his third disc. Using wistful bubblegum melodies and crisp '60s harmonies, in tunes like "Feel Like Myself" and "Cold Hands (Warm Heart)" he lashes out at former lovers and A&R men with equal venom. "I always wind up screwed without a kiss," he hisses on the Phil Spector inspired "The Pledge." But, in the end the man who counts Jack White and Beck as devoted fans, knows impending success is the best payback. "Maybe I've been caught red-handed, making off like a lucky bandit/ This wasn't how I planned it," he gloats on the title track. It's really hard to argue. --Aidin Vaziri