ALBUM REVIEW: Ben Van Bonn – Further Than Thought

’…the sign of a musician who is not here to build a career, but instead create music for the very joy creation brings. That sense of purpose and authenticity shines through on ‘Further Than Thought’…’

It has been two years since the debut full-length release of Ben Van Bonn, ‘Myth of the Middle Rung’. Offering a cinematic yet understated collection of indie songs, it provided a great foundation for the Brooklyn based artist to build a strong indie singer-songwriter career. Van Bonn’s second album, however, makes for a very experimental and unexpected change in tone, pace, and orchestration.

Composed of twelve pieces of instrumental music, fronted by and often entirely consisting of melodic acoustic guitar performances, it is perhaps easy to imagine that ‘Further Than Thought‘ would lack any real capacity to engage with the listener and ensnare them. That, however, is far from the case; how Van Bonn manages to weave together surprisingly dense yet blissfully expansive soundscapes draws you in immediately, taking you on a true musical odyssey.

It’s a brilliant experience to behold as Van Bonn guides you around American landscapes through his musicianship; northern forests, quaint fishing villages, and the desolate church lined streets of mid-town America are all conjured up through the experimental ways in which Van Bonn explores his capacity to play guitar. Rain-like fingerpicking cascades around the listener on the darkly dramatic ‘Fish, Clams, Scallops‘, whilst bass notes are sparingly used to cut through the jangling noises with soul-stirring energy. On the other hand, ‘Hart Pond‘ is represented with a tender simplicity, with joyful yet softly paced melodies perhaps feeling reminiscent of a warm Spring afternoon. From there, to truly appreciate the diversity of Van Bonn’s musicianship, one could listen to ‘To Scotty’s Bay‘, which offers a third representation of water, but this time with a far more sombre, melancholic tone.

These moments of cinema are intersected with playful numbers that not only act as a tonic to the darker moments of the album, but act as perfect transitions between ideas and sentiments that Van Bonn seeks to display. The opening number ‘Galipette‘ is an enchanting track that serves to hook even instrumental music sceptics, with moments of eerie ambience contrasted by playful, frolicking finger picking that swells up like musical fireworks. ‘Kite Hill Jump‘ takes that one step further, bringing forth beautiful melodies that shine with a bittersweet, playful innocence; it is perhaps the nostalgic soundtrack to a summer you have yet to experience.

To make a switch from simple yet rousing indie rock to something as potentially inaccessible as instrumental guitar music is the sign of a musician who is not here to build a career, but instead create music for the very joy creation brings. That sense of purpose and authenticity shines through on ‘Further Than Thought‘, marking Ben Van Bonn out as a hidden gem of talent that desperately deserves your attention.

In a world dominated by algorithms, numbers, and trends, Ben Van Bonn offers an album that purposefully eschews all of that, and politely requests that you sit down with a cup of coffee and spend your time with that album. There are no catchy hooks or wild breakdowns to share on social media, but only the earnest nature of a man conveying emotion and imagery through music. As long as musicians such as Van Bonn continue to exist, the album format will live a very, very long life yet.

RATING: 81/100 – Very Good

Follow the artist on social media below:

Instagram // Spotify