According to many, it is clear: The Beatles have long since perfected the craft of the pop song. Yet there are still musicians who do not accept that under the guise: 'it has all been done before, just not by us yet'. Brendan Benson is one of those guys who simply delivers such an old-fashioned sunny song record in 2005, which radiates the optimism and zest for life of the sixties. Benson is quite
… versatile in this approach. He can be funky like Franz Ferdinand in the title track, to deliver a perfect Phil Spector pastiche with The Pledge. Above all, he possesses the most important gift for a songwriter: that of writing a catchy hookline. With The Alternative To Love, Benson also offers a welcome alternative for the pop lover at a time when the art of songwriting is more than ever undervalued. (MS)more
