It's not often one finds an independent release that would stand up favourably to the material that mainstream record labels are putting out. In the Bag is one of those rare recordings. Unlike most indie artists, Benjamin Antell is no newcomer to the music scene, having been around and involved in music since 1971.
In the Bag bears witness to that fact, containing a wide variety of musical styles, with just enough similarity that their integration works.
Opening track, "Be Bop Dum De Dum," was inspired by the story of Nicky Cruz's move from New York gangleader to evangelistic preacher. It's a cute little number with rolling drum loops, simple lyrics, and general pep. The pseudo trip-hop of the following track, "There's a God In My Garage" is quite a contrast and sounds like it wouldn't be out of place on one of N'Soul's eclectica compilations, except that it is somewhat better than we've come to expect from those releases.
The only song that never grabbed me, "The Money Song," suffers from its musical simplicity, and constant repetition of the phrase "money makes the world go round." Thankfully Antell follows it with three more quirky tracks, mixing the contrasts of programmed drum loops and sampling and country.
Lyrically, "My Darling Daughter," a plea for a daughter who has left the faith, is a good example of Antell's approach. We are not told whether the daughter is fictional or not, but either way it's a beautiful song:
I really don't know what to say
My darling daughter's lost her way
She's running head-on through the night
Dazzled by the light
I really don't know what to say
My words fail me anyway
And I'm afraid she'll turn away
In anger or in shame
Combined with a further few tracks, this CD is evidence of a genius at work. If only this release could get major distribution in North America, it would definitely inject some much needed new blood into the works.
4.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Joe RockstrohBenjamin Antell makes some weird music. It's cool stuff, but it's weird. The best way to describe the overall sound would be techno-rock, with samples and all kinds of strange stuff thrown in at odd times. The songs tend to keep you off-balance, waiting for the next sample or drum loop to kick in. With songs like "The Money Song," which consists of samples saying "money makes the world go round"…
