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Tracks Coffee Poet Cracked mp3 Grand & Ludlow mp3 Robbie Snow Montgomery Clift mp3 Beautiful Face She's Only Happy High Smitten then Shunned More City Sadness Blue Streak Mesohippus *Realplayer clips |
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Craig Bennett-Vocals, Guitar, Keyboard Diana Hoskins - Drums/Percussion Daniel Dinardo- Bass Guitar Chester Bellows- Cello Melhoyt Snow- Viola Balzac- Violin Blake Street- All Horns Cover Art by Stephen Tisdale |
Press: "Craig Bennett's songs make you want to hole up in a dimly lit room by yourself, just you and your cigarettes, and cry slow silent tears. Not because his songs are sad, but because they're so effortlessly beautiful, so lush and compelling, so immaculately conceived and written and sung …Without being wimpy or sappy, Craig Bennett's songs are so delicately pristine, you know that he has written songs that you would write if you could only find the words." -Kali Holloway, Lycos Music "... profoundly artistic, creative, and edge bending genre defining stuff. Lyrically Bennett spins a poetic journey of life, love and portraits of the colorful people he's passed along the way ... Grab this CD, it's classic and an absolutely gorgeous rock pop theatrical record ... Independent music art at its finest."- Earbuzz "Does anyone remember when Bowie kind of made a brand of folk-type music that used to seem interesting? You know what I'm talking about, the Heroes and pre-era...Well, Craig Bennett has conquered that same weird mountain… it's a damn fine sound, particularly when presented with such vigor and intelligence. In a time when artists no longer practice art, "More City Sadness" stuns with its pure artiness." Kurt Hernon Editor, BangSheet "…It is always a pleasant surprise to find something instantly likeable. The music reminds me of a stripped down and less whiny Suede mixed with a slower tempo Stone Roses. I know that Mr. Bennett knows of the Stone Roses, as he makes references to Stone Roses singer, Ian Brown, in the title track- 'I spent four years sporting an Ian Brown haircut, just to win you over. Man, I couldn't do enough.' So cheeky! The big surprise in the end is that Bennett grew up in Macon, Georgia in the US and is now based in the city of Atlanta. Those more inclined to the British music scene should definitely check this album out." Cindy Wong, Editor, Pop Culture Detox. San Francisco, CA. "Bennett's blend of coffeehouse psychedelia and British pop shines even on the darkest of days, and poems-turned-lyrics throw a left curve on songs like "Blue Streak," "Beautiful Face" and "Montgomery Clift." Orchestral strings add a larger-than-life sound to the mix, making More City Madness something worth anyone's attention."- Omar Perez, Altar Native. Miami, FL "There is so much style in his substance that it might be easy to dismiss this as merely pop candy. The disc sounds quite wonderful … there is plenty beneath the veneer that invites a listener back again for more (and more). You know, it would be great if the next big thing from the U.K. sounded like this. I'm just happy someone turned the trick. Bennett sure knows his way around a pop song." J. Worley, Aiding & Abetting (Durham, NC) "More City Sadness" is a luscious pop record … newcomer Craig Bennett stitches his keen eye for scenes of urban decay to portraits of emotional ennui. Vocal-wise he comes across like a cross between a young David Bowie and Luke Haines of the Auteurs, and although the record never quite rocks as hard as the first Suede album, the froth that rises to the top of the brew is pungent and disorientating, in a glam-tastic way, of course." Beta Music - Singapore "Craig Bennett is a kind of cross between catchy Brit-pop and pensive American indie rock circa early REM. Jaunty rhythms, punchy drums, catchy choruses, breathy vocals, dour demeanor and the occasional string part combine to make the effect. Clever lyrics abound." -Noah Wane, Splendid E-zine "Moderately tempoed pop-n-roll with an intelligence and sophistication revealing a high level of craftsmanship ...there's a sense of the early 1980s British New Wave (e.g. The Smiths, The Cure, XTC), or any of the 1970s prog/glam rockers (esp. David Bowie), or mid-1960s Beatles (Revolver, Sgt. Pepper) a spacey-ness swirling around light airy melodies and weird backward looping "Penny Lane" orchestration - with the haunting sensitivity permeating Bennett's lyrical and vocal stylings thru-out. There's a sadness and melancholy -- an unfulfillment -- woven into the fabric of the lyrics, betraying an individual who has wandered to close to the unpleasant, the uncertain, and perhaps the unfair. Richly textured and truly exquisite!" Riff Gibson Raging Smolder Publications "I'm sitting here completely mesmerized by the music of Craig Bennett. His voice, his guitar...wait; there is a chick in there! It's Diana Hoskins. She's the drummer and she rocks! The band has a great sound, a beatnik trance-like vibe. It's alterna/pop at its best. Could easily go mainstream. You can hear Craig's Bowie/Floyd influence in there...especially in the track "Montgomery Clift." I'll be listening to this CD a lot!"-Madalyn Sklar, Go Girls Music "In a very unique and refreshing indie release, Craig Bennett serves up an off-kilter, trebly, acoustic sound with a vocal style that places emphasis on odd words. The album is a mix of late '60s faux-English pop, occasional spacey sections or funky Tim Buckley bits, Steve Taylor-ish vocals and lyrics, Porno for Pyros-like vocals and guitars, weird effects with keyboard, even a seconds-long psychedelic or classic rock guitar solo from time to time. Fans of Belle & Sebastian style indie pop should dig this. He has some clever, odd lyrics … Indie releases are almost always a disappointment, so it's a rare treat to find one so musically mature and satisfyingly original." -Josh Spencer, Stranger Things Magazine "…Craig Bennett is an introspective sort of guy ... He'd rather sit inside and ruminate, write some verse, pick out a few chords on the guitar and -- before he knew it -- he'd have himself a song. And more likely than not, it would be catchy piece of electronic-folk (or some other sort of label -- there's an awful lot of violas, horns, and techno-esque beats to call it folk) music. The disc is filled with original sounding arrangements that probably would be appreciated by fans of Belle & Sebastian, some older David Bowie, and other Euro-pop (even though he's from Georgia) It's good Sunday morning music and a pleasant surprise that has grown on me more and more with each listen."- James Baumann, Swizzle-stick |
- CD SINGLE "Coffee Poet Cracked"
| (click for realplayer clips) Coffee Poet Cracked Montgomery Clift Bad Times Know No Bounds Chemical Smile |
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"Coffee Poet Cracked"- The first single taken from "More
City Sadness." Includes "Montgomery Clift," and non-LP tracks "Bad Times Know No Bounds" and
"Chemical Smile." all songs written and produced by Craig Bennett Recorded at BlackCottage January-June 1999 |
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I placed more emphasis on the lyrics on this record than I had in past Cork recordings. I took more of a narrative approach and wrote most of these tunes with an acoustic guitar. Most of these songs were written during my travels to San Francisco and New York City in 1997. They began to take shape in the spring and summer of 1998. They were finalized during a brief stay on the Georgia coast. I played a few solo shows in the fall to get a live feel and some feedback from an audience. I began demo recording late in the year, and then began final recordings at the start of 1999. The first step I took toward creating this record was to surround myself with excellent musicians. I didn't need to look far. My band mates from Cork seemed the obvious choice. Drummer/percussionist Diana Hoskins and bassist Daniel Dinardo stepped right in as my rhythm section. None of this could have happened without my good mate Diana. She believed in the material enough to commit a large amount of time and effort. I added Blake Street on horns, Chester Belows, Melhoyt Snow, and Balzac on Strings. I played all the guitars and made a few attempts at keyboard as well. Nat Chen lent her voice on one tune. I looked for a producer but before I could settle on anyone, I had produced most of the record myself. I will be playing a few solo shows in support of this album, and I hope to tour the northeastern US this autumn but I want to get back into the studio and begin work on new material for a follow-up record. I plan to add more horns and strings in hopes of creating a bigger sound - do all the things I can't do live. I'll also decide soon if a full band effort is needed/wanted for a tour of some sort. - Craig Bennett 7/99 |
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