Ben Lee had barely cracked the puberty code when he fronted renowned Aussie alt-rock combo Noise Addict, and as a well-weathered 16-year-old, he began his debut solo album, the mature yet still naive Grandpaw Would. Lee’s third album, Breathing Tornados, garnered best male artist and album of the year nominations in Australia. After 2002’s big-selling hey you. yes you., Lee started his own label and released the most upbeat album in his increasingly dark catalog, 2005’s Awake Is The New Sleep, requiring him to compose acceptance speeches for best male artist, best independent release and single of the year wins at home. Lee’s impressive string of successes continued with 2007’s Ripe, but the streak stopped with 2009’s The Rebirth Of Venus. The quasi-concept album of Lee’s ruminations on women was almost universally derided as half-baked philosophical twaddle set to a weirdly diverse pop soundtrack. Simultaneously, he was also examining the inherent power of dreams with Dr. Jan Lloyd, whose death last year inspired Lee to again brave the concept-album waters with Deeper Into Dream (Dangerbird), a loosely threaded set about the mind movies our brains script, direct and discard every single night. Lee will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new Q&A with him.
Lee: I first met Alexa Wilding when she was supporting Au Revoir Simone on their national tour. We became fast friends and have played some shows together. Her musical sensibility is hard to describe; she has a bit of Kate Bush, a bit of freak folk and a bit of Stevie Nicks in her, and her singing and guitar playing are both really powerful tools that are very much under her control. She just finished a new album called Coral Dust, and it’s such an atmospheric and dreamy experience to listen to. She is also one of the sweetest people you will meet. And her husband (Mr. Ian) rules. I guess all this is my way of saying that should you encounter Alexa Wilding either in a musical or personal sense someday soon, your life will be richer for it.
Video after the jump.
