Album of the Week: Benjamin Clementine achieves greatness with ‘And I Have Been’
Benjamin Clementine has returned with his long-awaited third album, And I Have Been. It’s taken five years for him to release the follow-up to his critically acclaimed second album, 2017’s I Tell a Fly, but it has been worth the wait. As was expected, the LP is his most accomplished to date, a more dynamic, atmospheric and affecting body of work than anything he’s released, even his Mercury-winning debut album At Least for Now.
A largely autumnal record, comprised of many twists and turns, ranging from cuts that are the pinnacle of sophisti-pop to bluer, piano-driven pieces that evoke the leaf-strewn streets of the city he once called home, Paris, there is much to love about the record. Clementine instantly pulls you in, and by the climax, you feel as if you’ve been on a journey of discovery, with his rousing vocal performances augmented by layered and expansive music movements.
The record was primarily conceived high up in the Santa Monica mountains and the small town of Ojai, California, imbuing And I Have Been with a strangely sunny essence that acts as something of a foil to the more dominant autumnal feel, stopping the more downbeat parts of the album from being too depressing. Aided by his collection of vintage analogue equipment, the album feels like a mix of the opulent soundtrack to Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon and more contemporary lounge pop, with some distinctly 1970s and funky influences sprinkled in for good measure. To put this sentiment into perspective, this album would be the perfect accompaniment to a Paul Thomas Anderson period piece.
It’s rare to say this, but the record arrives without an obvious downside. There might be songs that sound very similar, but due to Clementine’s performances and artistic choices, there’s enough to separate them and keep them feeling fresh. ‘Residue’, ‘Genesis’, ‘Gypsy, BC’, ‘Weakend’, ‘Copening’ and ‘Auxilliary’ are all highlights. Still, interestingly, the piece that makes the most impact is track eight, ‘Last Movement Of Hope’, which happens to be the starkest stylistic departure from the rest of the songs.
An utterly exquisite moment, it is the most minimal on the record and serves as a perfect way to catch our breath and be mesmerised by a trance of self-reflection. It sees Clementine channel one of his earliest heroes, Erik Satie, and hit the artistic heights he’d always teased.
A moody, spacious piece, this is the sound of an Edward Hopper painting come to life, with the English songwriter’s left and right hands dovetailing to create five-minutes of unfettered genius that the greats of old would be proud of claiming ownership of.
It’s a stellar return from Benjamin Clementine, And I Have Been is an artistic triumph.
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