Ben Green's musical process and artistic intent are both a bit difficult to grasp, much less explain in a neat paragraph. The Australian creative writes that he finds inspiration in everything present in his life when he sits down to improvise. He sees his music as "a storytelling mechanism, with no particular story in mind." Green weaves together elements "of everything, but of nothing in particular." Perhaps we can interpret this to mean that Ben Green is deeply influenced by people, places, and experiences in his own life, but wishes each listener to construct their own narrative or meditate on personal emotions when sitting with his music. Whatever his aim, Green's new EP on Music Company, Lauchie Cox, is a brief but essential listen for fans of soft neoclassical textures and flowing melodies. It inspires reflection, occupying space between the vague and specific, foreground and background.
Though the details of Lauchie Cox's story are purposefully left opaque, the album is bookended by Dawn and Dusk tracks, alluding to the arc of a day. The opener rises via electronic propulsion and is then carried by minimalist piano notes - feeling like a sunrise. The closer is a smeared major-key drone - the sun setting on the day, ushering in nightfall. There seems to exist some symmetry on Lauchie Cox, as tracks two and five, The Forest and Faces, are twin solo piano pieces. The Forest is an EP highlight, a spare construction which still manages to convey tender emotion. Finally, the middle two tracks, Falls and The Call are a bit more active than the others, percussion acting as fuel. If the song titles weren't indication enough, the field recordings on The Call speak to the central role that nature plays in Green's creative process.
So take what you will from Lauchie Cox, as it's sort of up to each of us to make meaning when listening to Ben Green's beautiful improvisations. You can find the EP on Music Company's Bandcamp page, linked here, and listen to our favorite track below.