On his new album, The Story Of Fred Short, Marco Benevento takes listeners on a journey through a fever dream landscape of his musical influences. His appreciation for 80’s synth-pop and organ fueled prog rock blend with more modern sensibilities, creating a collection of songs that are nostalgic yet original in every way. Benevento handles the many keyboard and organ parts with the effortless energy that we have come to expect from him, while further refining his newest musical tool, his voice. With long time collaborators Dave Dreiwitz (Ween, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead) on bass and Andy Borger on drums giving him the confidence to explore The Story Of Fred Short is a wonderful example of an artist spreading their creative wings and learning to fly.

The first half of Benevento’s sixth solo record is a slice of dance music magic. While the songs themselves seem straightforward enough on the surface, there is an underlying sense of the fantastical. Changing tempos, dichotomous lyrical imagery and musical tone gives the album an element of gorgeous impossibility. Tunes like “Dropkick” and “All The Other Dreams” bounce to a retro 80’s pop beat, but the droning, looping lyrics and off kilter rhythms give a clue as to the psychedelic nature of the journey embarked upon.

The second half of the album serves as a conceptual piece, with seven sections that expand on a hallucinatory vibe with loose sonic connective tissue uniting each section. In some cases, the songs completely flow directly into each other, with flourishes and free-flowing style changes to serve as chapter points. The pervasive use of echo and reverb on Benevento’s voice infuses the entire album with a bubbly energy that serves the hopeful nature of the lyrics well. Each track, though not always linked, still passes forward a sense of motion, a musical baton that is carried across the finish line with a smile and wave to the crowd.

1. In The Afternoon Tomorrow

A playful Casio gives the opening track a childlike quality that sets the spacey tone for much of the music to come. A dreamy sweet love song that follows the classic trope of boy meets girl, boy loses girl.  The use of tone to add a layer of uncertainty to the lyrics is established midway, as you realize this is a rumination of a failed relationship and not the rush of a romantic beginning as first suggested.

2. Dropkick

Benevento’s love of reconfiguring and re-imagining keyboards intended for all ages and the proficiency he’s developed with them is well utilized here and throughout the collection. Using tools broad enough for all ages to create a decidedly adult feel is a achievement to be lauded. Splashy cymbals and a jammy, jaunty outro reveal a sophisticated, scaling complexity behind the deceptively simple facade.   

3. All The Other Dreams

Benevento wears his old school synth pop influences on his sleeve proudly. Crafting pop music is a far different skill set than that of a jam oriented organist, but he shows his range with an impressive ease. Once again the retro vibe to the song brings an unavoidable sunny feeling to “All The Other Dreams” even while the lyrics warn “It’s not always what it seems.”

4. Heavy Metal Floating Upstream

The tilt-a-whirl rolls to the other side of the spectrum with “Heavy Metal Floating Upstream,” a tune that would fit perfectly as a smash hit for a talented psychedelic ensemble. Crashing in on a wave of late 70’s prog rock, the space fuzz vocals and chorus effects signify a change in tone and an unexpected sense of expansion for the material.

5. I Intro: The Story Of Fred Short

The beginning of the suite of songs that are the core of the conceptual side of The Story Of Fred Short perfectly calls back the swirling efforts of Dark Side era Pink Floyd before the pulsing keyboards and click tracks help push the piece in new directions. A popping and beautifully organic bass line from Dreiwitz makes the groove completely irresistible. The sparse lyrics add a sense of urgency and direction that build as the core musical conceit flows completely naturally into the next section.

6. II Seven Twenty Two

The second part of the suite is more in tune with the rest of the album, with looping, cheerfully ominous vocals and intriguing sound effects. “Seven Twenty Two” is a brief visit to the earlier themes that soon dissolve into a crazed chorus.

7. III Walking With Tyrone

One of the shortest pieces on the disc is also the happiest. The light and zippy feel will have toes tapping and smiles spreading for even the saddest of souls. After a joyous build we get the first clear break in the flow between song, giving listeners a moment’s pause to snap them from the trance-like state the last three songs ensnared them with.

8. IV Live A Certain Life

A wave of reverb implies another cut of dream-like drifting before drummer Andy Borger delivers his most intrusive, driving beats yet.  The rhythm section propels “Live A Certain Life” with a rock steady fire. while the wide screen super space funk sounds of Benevento’s organ provide the most startling transition of the album. Bold and brash as he sings that “…it all feels like a dream…” Marco shows a glimpse of what he will someday achieve if he continues down this adventurous path while rocking the moment soundly.

9. V Stay In Line

The use of repetition, lyrically and musically, become majestic over the course of “Stay In Line,” eventually gaining an orchestral feel that somehow still seems like a rock song.  The unison of the sounds blend and lull the senses before the rhythm section grow unhinged before the collapse under a crackling, descending piano closing line.

10. VI I Can’t See The Light

You can practically feel Dreiwitz’s fingers on the strings, thanks to the poppy bass line he’s brought to be the heart of “I Can’t See The Light.  Again the surreality of the piece is inherent in the disconnect between the lyrical message and the tone of their delivery. The sentiments being related of being lost and in the dark are not reflected at all in the delivery, elevating the whole piece into a more psychological direction. That misdirection serves the album well, and is used here to the greatest effect.

11. VII Follow The Arrow

The charging opening of the last song of the set sets the stage for the dreams’ end with a rocking rise from the mind-altering depths traversed over the space of the album.  An alarm clock seems to go off, awakening the listener from the spell Benevento and company have cast. The mania and memories fade slowly as a return to consciousness sees through the fog of unreality. A slow, warbling organ line signifies that while the exact nature of what has just transpired is lost, the effects on the listener will long linger on a subliminal level.

After finishing the album, listeners are left to wonder, “…was that a dream?” The music’s shifting levels of intensity under a floating, hopeful vocal style paint expansive soundscapes for the mind to explore. This serves to keep listeners off balance and excited to hear where the next transition is taking them. Benevento continues to follow his artistic muse into the future, making the music only he can make. If The Story Of Fred Short is an indication of where he is headed, the future is bright for him and us all.

Macro Benevento’s new release The Story Of Fred Short is available here.