ben prestidge - Faded Age

Ben Prestidge

Faded Age
self-released; 2014

3.8 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Hailing from Auckland, New Zealand Ben Prestidge is the sole man behind his EP entitled Faded Age. Faded Age contains five songs that fans of bands like Local Native, Menomena, Deerhunter and Radiohead will appreciate. This is a guitar album that prefers heavy reverbs and delays rather than distortion, which often creates an ethereal atmosphere that exudes a tranquil, calming aura. Don't confuse this with boring tunes, which may put you to sleep. The songs are well written and engaging with enough changes to keep your attention. On top of that Prestidge has a good voice that seems conducive to the music. He also did a fine job at creating a cohesive artistic statement. The songs flow together well and it is the type of EP you just press play and enjoy.

The album starts with one of the highlights entitled “Faded Age.” It starts with a fast paced drumbeat and luminescent guitars that create a light cloud-like atmosphere.  Prestidge’s lyrics are poetic and tend to stray from any kind of straight narrative. He sings “Fly, deep in the desert. We can erase ourselves. Hiding and naked, only for so long. Feel, surprise and you're waking up. The flies and the pigs are out. With eyes that are vacant, only for so long.” Towards the end of song it rocks out in a Radiohead-esque way as Prestidge manipulates his vocals and adds a couple of modulated elements.

“How'd you get it all” takes the energy down a bit but there is no harm to the quality of the song. It is serene and has occasional moments of beauty mixed with melancholy. Prestidge delivers a good vocal performance packed with just enough emotion. “You know” has an upbeat, triumphant energy while “All Your Friends” felt like a slight lull in the album. Prestidge closes with “All you hold,” which combines an intricate guitar melody, vocal harmonies and subtle but effective rhythm section. The song ends with the energy it started with and avoided the dramatic, epic rock out that has become a bit too predictable.

There wasn't too much not to like about this album. It has a good flow, the songwriting is above average and the production is solid.

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