Ben Kweller - 'Ben Kweller'

[Note: I've come to appreciate this record, but it's still the weakest of BK's solo releases.]

“‘The whiz man’ never did quite fit you like ‘the wiz kid’ did.” So goes the song “Bastard” by Ben Folds, and it could certainly pertain to his fellow Benjamin (and The Bens bandmate), Ben Kweller.

The former Radish frontman has had a rocky but fulfilling career up until now. His old band earned a record deal before he was even 16. Critical and commercial ruin followed, however, and Radish burned out quickly.

By the time he was 20, Kweller was chock full of world-weary material for his solo debut, Freak Out, It’s Ben Kweller. A couple of excellent EPs and full-lengths later, including a stint with Folds and Ben Lee on The Bens, Kweller has finally exhausted his creativity. His self-titled third solo LP carries the same tuneful ’60s pop rock of the excellent On My Way, but lacks the spirit, quirkiness and hooks of previous slacker anthem efforts, emphasizing a hollowed-out bubblegum approach.

Ben Kweller opens with the Springsteen-ish piano and drums-and-tambourine of “Run.” It then morphs into Kweller’s old pop rock style, which is a shame, since the song stops being interesting once it isn’t imitating the Boss. “Run” unfortunately sets the example for the rest of the album. Some critics have slagged Kweller in the past for being a bit too idiosyncratic and immature with his lyrics, but really, that’s part of what made him fun. He can mention beating people up with karate right in the middle of a song about growing up and falling in love while still sounding natural. But nothing like that appears on Ben Kweller.

The album does show some promise, though, with the lead single, “Sundress.” Kweller finally conjures up a great chorus, and for four minutes and six seconds, the listener may very well forgive Ben Kweller’s false start. But then “I Gotta Move” comes on.

“I Gotta Move,” and the song that follows it, “Thirteen,” are dumb and boring. Harsh, but it’s true. Luckily, “Penny on a Train Track” provides some great pop vibes. But just when you think the album is going to follow the formula of “two crappy songs, one good one,” Kweller provides an updated version of the catchy B-side “I Don’t Know Why” and then makes sure that track nine, “Red Eye,” thoroughly sucks. In between and following the two songs are more filler.

It feels as if Kweller is trying desperately to shed his former self. These songs are serious instead of fun, which is disappointing because Kweller can be really funny. They’re also led by piano instead of guitar, which is extremely disappointing because Kweller is a blazing guitarist and merely a decent pianist. It’s weird that he’s stopped writing Weezer-style slacker anthems, because Ben Kweller is the first time he’s ever sat around and done nothing.