Gentle Ben and His Sensitive Side

Aussie rocker Ben Corbett is blessed with a dual personality – there’s a sensitive side to him but there’s a wild side, too.

His wilder side breaks through during his performances with swamp-rock outfit Six Ft. Hick, a band known for notorious stage antics and general outrageous ideas. Check out their mind-boggling ‘Oysters’ video on YouTube and you know what I mean!
In this review, however, Music-News discusses the singer’s gentler touch – brought to surface by his second band - aptly named Gentle Ben And His Sensitive Side – and their reissued 12” vinyl Magnetic Island.

Opener ‘Regret It’ starts off innocent enough with the confession “I quickly inform you that I won’t be home tonight / I know it’s not alright”, before its refrain becomes edgier and more riff-orientated.
‘Suicide Machine’ is wonderfully warped with its deceivingly chirpy arrangement, contrasted by dramatic lyrics. In a similar vein lays ‘Rally Around’ – a slice of nice indie-pop, albeit stripped to sparse instrumental accompaniment. Instead, Corbett’s voice lingers firmly in the foreground, inviting us to sing along and clapping hands.

A love song of a different kind is ‘That Guy’s A Liar’ – its cautionary lyrics “He’ll break your heart in two… if you’re lucky, that’s all he do…” smoothly glide alongside Dylan McCormack’s decidedly monotone piano spiel.
Personal favourite is ‘Blur The Lines’, it seduces with an intoxicating Talking Heads influenced rhythm that gets more layered as the track goes on.

‘Tomorrow Afternoon’ offers laid-back pop coupled with a flamenco guitar intro, while ‘Nothing That I’m Needing From You’ is altogether more sombre – a moody, Cohen-esque brew with a bewitching female/male duet during its chorus moments.

‘The Story Of The Swan’ may give the impression of a fairytale unfolding. The truth couldn’t be further away. Boasting a catchy 80’s synth-pop beat (with a bit of 90’s Pulp thrown in), this story takes us back to Corbett’s teenage years and his intimidating encounter with a guy who had F*ck you tattooed on his lip.
The fabulously tongue-in-cheek ‘Lay Down With Me’ has our gentle frontman crooning in mock-drunken voice: “Never thought this would happen / Never thought we would be touching each other inappropriately / I think you could be the friend that I need / Now the bottle is empty and we’re both on our knees… In the permanent twilight of bachelor sheets… lay down with me ‘cause I can’t wait forever”. Hell, pass me the wine!

Another gem on the album is the Go-Betweens cover ‘Was There Anything I Could Do’ – a tribute to Go-Betweens co-founder Grant McLennan, who was a friend.
Nice drum- and bass work courtesy of Nick Naughton and Dan Baebler, while Corbett’s impassionate voice carries the number onto another plateau. It’s less harmonious than the original version, instead opting for a more raucous delivery.
Lyrically, Magnetic Island is a mix of the dark and the darkly humorous, while musically, its more pop-oriented direction provides an uplifting balance. Magnetic!