Ben’s Diapper’s are a Finnish pop band with a strong Australian connection; Michael Carpenter produced their debut album while another Australian popster, Joe Algeri, produced this, their latest EP. Lead singer Jaako Soderstrom has a unique and strong voice but he still tends to falter during some of the slower moments. He if can work on this , then Ben’s Diapper’s next album pomises to be memorable as not only are they a talented bunch of musicians but they also have their own unique sound.
Pop On Top - USA
A couple of Finnish powerpoppers produced by an expat Aussie now resident in Sweden. You figure it out! Ben’s Diapers released the debut full-lengh “Celebrate The Cliche” to a warm reception in undergroud pop circles last year. It was a splendid affair and proved taht the band were no sloushes in coming up with the goods, like keen tunes, spirited performance and lively guitar work. With the ubiquitous pop Aussie Michael Carpenter an asset behind the boards.
The 5-track EP, out on French label Pop The Balloon continues the melody pop attack with Joe Algeri of Jack And The Beanstalk this time providing the production expertise. Perhaps it is the influence of Algeri’s presence which proves crucial in determining the ultimate sound of Middle Eight For Modern Lovers because interested listeners will be greeted by an approach akin to Gram Parsons fronting Teenage Fanclub. No, really. Close your eyes and it’s a sonic vision that comes unbidden to mind when encountering such pure countrified powerpop gems like the dynamic “Josephine Geraldine”, the vibrant “She Got Signed”, the hillbily charged “Right Away” and the driving “Thinking Platonic”.
A delicious hybrid that will have fans of both genre in full appreciation of Ben Diapers’ clever assimilation and sprightly delivery.
Bucketfull Of Brains – UK
This five-song EP from Finnish pop quintet Ben’s Diapers comes on the heels of last year’s fabulous “Celebrate The Cliche”, an album brimming with all the right classic and contemporary power pop influences. “Middle Eights For Modern Lovers” is a brief taste of what the Diapers have been up to since then, with Jack And The Beanstalks’ Joe Algeri at the console to make it sound right. With a sprighly approach, Ben’s Diapers offers a wonderfully fresh, almost naïve outlook, applied equally to their guitar pop and songwriting. “Josephine Geraldine” has a semisonic-basement-tapes feel, while “She Got Signed” works a music biz-as-love metaphor that suggests Nick Lowe’s pure pop period in both sound and sly humor. The Closer, “Thinking Platonic” is a heart-pounding, two-minute homage to Tommy Keene sans the minor chrod moodiness. Predictably, this EP is too short by a third. More Diapers, please.
Amplifier – USA
Middle Eights For Modern Lovers establishes Ben’s Diapers as an important presence on the pop scene. Hopefully we’ll be hearing more from them soon.
Rock Beat – USA
Of the five selections on this EP, none are especially risk-taking, but all are sturdy, sometimes-muscular pieces of pop, the strongest being the final two tracks: the little-bit country “Right Away” and the outstanding “Thinking Platonic” which finally finds the band bursting out of their earlier moderate mode with crunching aplomb. So a bit of a surprise from France’s finest source of poxer pop, but definitely of the pleasant variety.