Ben + Vesper · Sounds Familyre

B+V PRESS

Pitchfork
May 1, 2007
Rating: 7.5

All This Could Kill You, the debut LP from husband-and-wife/mother-and-father team Ben + Vesper, is rooted in the profound minutiae of life with children: These are American folk songs, about feeding kids on a bloated credit card, remembering caustic childhood taunts, putting books to sleep, daughters, shoddy report cards, a square meal and a round of drinks. Ben + Vesper's jangly weave of guitar, accordion, organ, piano, and drums might be richer and bigger than their acoustic guitar-and-campfire predecessors, but these are songs for everyperson, tough, frank, and, miraculously, never the least bit precious.

Occasionally, Ben + Vesper's doting coos and warm freak-folk(ish) pop can prove reminiscent of other (equally whimsical) boy-girl outfits-- the Handsome Family and Ida, in particular-- but All This Could Kill You (which follows a seven-song EP, More Questions, released earlier this year) is boosted into distinction by Danielson/Danielson Famile mastermind Daniel Smith's rich, cuddly production: All 13 songs here are impeccably recorded, tender, balanced, and gorgeously organic. Smith's label, Sounds Familyre, is releasing the record, and elsewhere on the album, Smith's fingerprints are equally indelible: All This was recorded in Smith's studio (the New Jerusalem Recreation Room, deep in Smith and the Ben + Vesper's home state of New Jersey), and incorporates the contributions of plenty of Smith's pals and former collaborators, including Famile member Elin (also Smith's wife) on backing vocals, Famile member David (also Smith's brother) on drums, and longtime Famile accomplice Sufjan Stevens, who offers up banjo, recorder, piano, oboe, percussion, and backing vocals. Likewise, Ben's big brother and childhood friend-- Josh Stamper and Chris Weisman, respectively-- add arrangements and man various noisemakers, from guitar to marimba. All that friend-and-family closeness leads to songs that feel especially easy, which each musical piece slipping into simple, hand-holding harmony.

While the record's melodies are, for the most part, uniformly sweet and memorable, Ben's big, booming vocals (offset, naturally, by Vesper's breathy murmur) provide a welcome shot of weird: on opener "Door to Door", Ben bellows "They will reach out and hold on to you/ Go on, introduce yourself or they will do it for you"-- and while he may be speaking about any number of benign things, the line turns more dark and sinister with each deep, baritone rumble, the kind of warning you're sure to heed. "Rockaway Twp." is a sharp acoustic/accordian throwdown (that half-sounds as if it could have been plucked from the new Vetiver record), a rare piece of beauty culled from a town better known for its strip malls (that ends, appropriately, with the caveat "I wanna live in the country"). All This Could Kill You is packed with grim observations and impressive sonic flourishes-- enough to make you wish you had more talented friends.

-Amanda Petrusich, May 01, 2007

Pitchfork, 2/22/07:
Sufjan, Danielson on Killer Ben + Vesper LP
If the name Ben + Vesper sounds familyre, that's because this artsy-fartsy husband/wife duo runs with the notorious Suf-gang. And you do not want to front on that, for Ben + Vesper-- signed to Daniel Smith's Sounds Familyre imprint-- have a straight gangsta 13-track LP coming at us May 22.
All This Could Kill You features multi-instrumental action from the one and only Sufjan Stevens (who tackles banjo, woodwinds, vocals, and piano here) and the production wizardry/wackery of Smith. The potentially murderous LP also boasts the titular equation's sensitive co-ed crooning (Ida fans take note), vocals from Smith siblings David (who also drums) and Elin, and arrangements from Josh Stamper and Chris Weisman.
As hazardous as this record is, we know you'll listen anyway; dip your toes in the waters of death by checking out the pleasant "An Honest Bluff" below.
Posted by Matthew Solarski in album, collaboration on Thu: 02-22-07: 05:15 PM CST | Permalink

Chart Attack.com (Yes, we post the sucky ones, too)
BEN AND VESPER More Questions (Sounds Familyre/Sonic Unyon) There are certain things that married couples just shouldn't do together. Sometimes making food together is a bad idea; jointly finding a parking spot is often a no-no. For Ben And Vesper, a New Jersey couple married for eight years, making an album was the wrong move. More Questions is an annoying homemade record worth avoiding at all costs. The duo sing in droning, awkward unison on all seven songs of this EP, while a collection of kitchen sink musical players and a shoddy production team try to help create a listenable mini-album. Lyrically, MQ feels like an inside joke between the B&V, resulting in a bunch of tunes that don't make sense. The pair play decent jangly, jazz-infused folk-pop, but the tuneless vocals and melody-starved compositions make this family affair one worth skipping. Phil Villeneuve (Thanks, Phil! We love you!)

ALEX KONYE / alex@vueweekly.com
This is another weirdo-friendly release from the Sounds Familyre aka Daniel Smith aka Danielson Famile label/compound. It's a peculiar presentation of odd-key melodies, interesting phrasing, mystery and melancholy. The music is always winding down, perfect for when you want to get away from it all, permanently. It's really easy to picture hundreds of B + V fans, or ìsad sacks,î crying in their wine, blubbering along in ironic, syncopated, dance manoeuvres while the band does its thing, which is basically crooning in D-minor about being married for 8 years and trying to keep things fresh.
It's actually not all that bleak, and there are a few uplifting moments of light jazz guitar ala Robbie Krieger, and even some Vince Guaraldi-esque piano. Married couple Ben and Vesper sing together in haunting duets that sound a lot like two Disneyfied hyenas, yowling at each other as they strategize and finally corner a zebra.

Stereogum.com
Cool project coming from the Sounds Familyre label. Ben + Vesper are Ben and Vesper (obviously), a married couple (so indie) who are set to release their thirteen-track, Daniel Smith-produced debut this May. The record features a few of the sibs from the Danielson Famile and one Mr. Sufjan Stevens on banjo, woodwinds, vocals, and piano. That oughta be enough to tip you to the tunes' leanings, though it doesn't account for the Dean & Britta-styled timbre mesh of Ben's baritone and Vesper's soft-hearted vox. Check the tracks, with "Rockaway Twp."'s dry, ditty of a melody blooming into something more orchestral, and "Honest Bluff"s steady-rolling chord cycle teased out to a slow swell by Daniel's warm touch on production. Think you'll enjoy.

Exclaim.ca By Alex Molotkow February 07, 2007
Ben and Vesper Stamper are the newest addition to Danielson's Sound Familyre label, and their music is very much a family affair. They are a married couple (of eight years) and contributing to the recording is Ben's brother, as well as Kurt Weisman (Feathers) and his brother, Chris. The Stampers and the Weismans don't seem like a particularly upbeat lot, but they make some very interesting music together. The seven-song EP gets your attention immediately with ìReceptor,î a haunting, rich-sounding tune with catchy vocal lines traded off between man and wife. It sets the tone for the rest of the EP, whose dark mood is offset by Ben and Vespers' harmonies, jazzy keyboard parts and glockenspiel. The song ìGarden's Aheadî is a change of pace, featuring what you might expect from a married couple on a (largely) folk label - tambourine, softly strummed guitar and even a few major chords. But it isn't flower power stuff; it's punctuated by a few sad harmonies just to remind the listener where the performers are coming from. Ben and Vesper are on to something good; their music is introspective but not navel-gazing, complex but not self-indulgent and it remains captivating throughout the 22 minutes of this release. With a full-length due in spring, let's hope they can double the intrigue; they're poised to be one of the most fascinating new bands of the new year.

The Music Miz
Song Review- Ben + Vesper Posted by Devon "Gardens Ahead" The latest artist to join the Danielson family (which includes our good buddy Sufjan), are a duo by the name of Ben + Vesper. The (married) couple specializes in a unique brand of acoustic pop. Although lyrics like ìThe state of my plant life is my own businessî and ìDon't try to divine my true thumbs colorî lead me to believe there's another substance influencing them besides pure talent (this is pure speculation by the way), I'm still willing to recommend them to fans of lush, folk influenced pop. The easy going ìGardens Aheadî from the bands EP More Questions makes use of care-free acoustic guitar, banjo, and some sort of chime that sounds like a star falling from the heavens. Ben sings with a slight drawl, ý la Rufus Wainright, sometimes combining several words into one long sound. Vesper plays back-up, adding slightly unsettling harmonies which always manage to come together by the chorus. It all gently builds into a jangly, beautiful acoustic lull. It's a good reminder of something most of us forget everyday: the art of relaxation.

UPDATE: I was informed by Vesper herself that no, they do not take partake in the use of illicit substances. They just really, really like plants.
No joke.

Paper Thin Walls.com
I'm calling Ben + Vesper ìfolkî by default since they play soft with a lot of fingerpicking and gentle strumming and because they sing the sort of self-observational poetic lyrics that were dubbed ìfolkî back when Dylan and Leonard and Joni did 'em in the '60s. But the music has the constant exploratory inventiveness and odd startling chordings that came pouring into semipopular music with postpunk. Ben sings in a deep gentle croon, giving everything a resonant hum, while Vesper adds color with her harmonies. The result isn't altogether gentle, however, since Ben's tones can get morose and the lyrics don't stint on the day-to-day anxieties of life. The words are both rueful and comic, daily married life infused with poetry, while the credit-card is maxed-out, the electricity is shut off, and the slacker children just drift through their classes. So you get bliss contending with desperation, tune mixing with antitune, strange imagery given to mundane concerns, joy fighting with dreariness. But there's one insurmountable problem with all this: I can't stand Ben's voice, and the dreariness wins. I think his singing achieves exactly what he wants it to-an ordinariness flecked with moments of sudden beauty-but ordinariness is, after all, ordinary, despite the surrounding intelligence and playfulness and melody and innovation. - FRANK KOGAN Average Community Rating: 7.8

Prefix Mag
7.5 out of 10
On Ben and Vesper Stamper's debut full-length, the husband-and-wife duo recruits an extended family of collaborators to fill out these pleasingly melodic if skewed pop songs. Danielson ringleader Dan Smith twiddles the knobs; his siblings David and Elin Smith handle drums and backing vocals, respectively; Sufjan Stevens juggles piano, banjo and woodwind duties; and Ben Stamper's brother Joshua sits in on guitar. That All This Could Kill You is such a family affair is telling. Throughout these songs, Ben fixates on the kind of domestic minutiae that seldom surfaces in pop music.

In a croon as serious as Scott Walker's, he sings lines like, "Take a look at my slacker kid's report cards/ You think I'm about to frame them?" or "Why talk on your phone's walkie-talkie when it's a phone?" It's not that his lyrics are lightweight; instead, everything's fair game. In fact, when "I'm here to buy some snacks for my kids" bubbles up amid more self-important, Romantic musings in "The Stomach," it grounds the song in an honesty seldom found in all of indie rock's hipster posturing.

But none of that would matter much if his words weren't wrapped in such lovely music. Ben and Vesper sing together with an entwined familiarity, conjuring other perfect vocal matches like Yo La Tengo's Georgia Hubley and Ira Kaplan or Low's Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker. Most notable, though, is how these song bend melodically, taking darker, more dissonant turns when a listener least expects them. On opener "Door to Door," the chorus builds tension as it progresses into intentionally discordant territory over jangling electric-guitar chords. On standout "Live Free or Try," a sludgy organ drapes over a sweet and delicate melody like a pall.

Departing from the album's self-possessed restraint, it climaxes with a ragged and searching guitar solo.

Much of All This Could Kill You borders on Sufjan-style easy listening, and especially near the end there is too little diversity to prevent it from seeming overlong. But it's still full of the kind of sophisticated melody and lush production that repays repeated spins. From the angelic chorus on "Vow Takers" to the twinkling piano pop of "Rockaway TWP," Ben + Vesper make good on a threat embedded in "Force Field": "We are a force you'll want to reckon with."

jr.com
Part of the Danielson/ Sounds Familyre posse, New Jersey duo Ben + Vesper purvey achingly sincere acoustic and electric alt-folk with a subtle Christian bent. The music is gentle, with slightly off-kilter melodies sung in pure, sometimes angelic tones, and complemented here by wispy percussion and some instrumental coloratura provided by their compatriot Sufjan Stevens.

Chart Attack.com
Ben + Vesper Want To Kill You, With Music
Monday May 14, 2007
Orange, New Jersey alternative folk artists Ben + Vesper have turned their marriage into a musical love affair on their debut album. The 13-track All This Could Kill You will be released on May 22 by the Sounds Familyre label. It was recorded at the New Jerusalem Rec Room studio in southern New Jersey. Sufjan Stevens offered his banjo, woodwinds, piano and vocal expertise to the LP, while Familyre label head Daniel Smith (Danielson) produced it. Smith siblings David and Elin added vocals and Josh Stamper and Chris Weisman helped with musical arrangements. Ben + Vesper's previous release was a Sounds Familyre EP titled More Questions that featured some of the same collaborators. "An Honest Bluff," "Gardens Ahead" and "Live Free Or Try" can be heard on Ben + Vesper's MySpace page. Ben + Vesper have seven shows scheduled for the U.S. in June and July, but no Canadian dates have been announced.
-Antoinette Mercurio

American Songwriter
Recorded and produced at New Jerusalem Recreation Room by Daniel Smith, husband and wife team Ben and Vesper Stamper put together an impressive collection of songs, as well as the album art. David Smith, Sufjan Stevens and Chris Weisman all sit in to whistle, drum and pluck, but they don't steal any force from Ben's contemplative, dry vocals. Vesper didn't just knit and hold the baby, her heartfelt voice smoothes many of the tracks with her pitch-perfect harmony. It isn't easy to pin down this offering, but its introspective lyrics and eerie accordion create a quasi-folk soundscape not easy to forget.
By Matthew W. Shearon

Chartattack.com
Musical cliques can be a great thing in the case where an established talent lends a hand to another group. Sometimes, though, it's disastrous and embarrassing for the "star" in question. Fortunately, with husband-and-wife team Ben and Vesper Stamper, this isn't the case. All This Could Kill You features the talents of producer Daniel Smith (Danielson) and Sufjan Stevens (vocals and various instruments). Ben's dour vocals receive a necessary lift from Vesper's gentle croon. The musical arrangements are just on the comfortable edge of atonal with a syncopated and piano-heavy orchestral bent. It's an intriguing complement to their tongue-in-cheek lyrics. Things begin to drag a bit by the end, leading to the conclusion that this record could have been trimmed. But, all in all, Ben + Vesper prove themselves worthy of their fine company on this compelling album. Shannon Whibbs

Drowned In Sound
Daniel Ross

It's only after repeated listens that the magic of All This Could Kill You begins to make itself known. Ben & Vesper's trade appears initially to be in slightly woozy, sub-Smog acoustic balladry, but after you've hit those magic repetitions a sprawling world of exploration and subtle innovation becomes visible on the horizon. There are untapped lines of wobbling accordion, oddly punctuated percussion phrases that out-shape any normal parameters and frankly home-honed lyrics that speak of domesticity and destruction in equal measure.

'The Stomach' balances these weirdities perfectly, with Ben's lugubrious crooning of "the heavy hand of the multi-tasker's union" offset by his calming assertion that "the old world will be shat on". And all to a Neil Hannon-esque whistle (courtesy of Sufjan Stevens, no less) and accordion refrain that ghosts in and out of focus with expert execution. This is the sound of the quietest revolutionary thought possible, knowing truths that, while a little obvious, are just as poetically potent as anything made by much louder exhibitionists.

Donít think for a moment that All This Could Kill You is a depressingly ëawareí affair, though. Listen to the sweetness of 'Nite Walker' and the blanket-like warmth of its sentiment. Ignore the fact that it starts with the hilariously out-of-place line "Dude, I already love you" and just appreciate the reasons for why anyone would say it. Brazen and slightly doe-eyed emoting seems to be a symptom of the familial and wonderfully collaborative atmosphere within this record. Ben & Vesper share not only a bond of marriage, but the singing and artwork duties here. Daniel Smith of Danielson and his wife recorded the piece and knitted. Sufjan Stevens played banjo and whistled. It's nice, all this, isn't it?

When the finished article is one so imbued with these positive elements, it seems only to add spice to include the lyrical and thematic difficulties that the songs do so effortlessly. This record will probably not set the world and its heart ablaze with acclaim and adoration, but it certainly should do. If everyone could express themselves so clearly and with such dignity, this high a watermark would seem somewhat redundant. As things stand, Ben + Vesper are a rare talent with a record full of rare qualities.

cdreviews.com
Written by Pablo Rivers
Indie pop: a father who knows Sufjan Stevens. [5.25.07]

Ben and Vesper Stamper are parents, and like most responsible parents, it appears their lives revolve around their children. Unlike most parents, however, Ben and Vesper know Sufjan Stevens. Hmmm.

This conflict between art school insider and parenthood characterizes All This Could Kill You, the coupleís first album. As one might guess, the album is preoccupied with the affairs of child rearing, home and work, bed time stories and county clerks; you know, all that stuff that could kill you. But with the backing of half of the Danielson Famile and Sufjan Stevens, Ben and Vesper transform the mundane into a fanciful portrait of familial sanctity. There are marimbas and songs about pregnancy and whimsical artwork and the liner notes thank the babysitters.

Like all musical couples, the two share a special sort of creative harmony. Benís languorous baritone completely clashes with Vesperís breathy coo, much in the same way John Doe and Exene Cervenka struggled and succeeded to find a unique harmonic balance, sans the visceral punch, of course. Instead, the Stampers hone a dreamy romanticism that soaks the album through. ìVow Takersî most accurately represents the product, a stream of oblique but seemingly personal lyrics that float across a river of gentle strums and accordion solos.

The plaintive harmonies are aided by cute arrangements, built up by their armful of friends/collaborators. Benís brother Joshua and multi-instrumentalist Chris Weisman both play large roles, each contributing more and more to the orchestra of sounds: chromatic harmonicas, organs and suitcase of arresting percussion. The dense sound dresses up otherwise naked compositions like ìLive Free or Try,î a song that begins quite modestly before becoming saturated by a variety of timbres. Occasionally, a tune might become too ornate, but more often than not, the arranging team finds a comfort zone between too much and too little.

The wild card element might be Sufjan Stevens, a guy who seems to be appearing on a lot of records lately. Stevensí contributes an oboe here, a recorder there and some deft banjo plucking on ìNite Walker,î a fond account of a bed time stories and the such. His appearances are largely superficial; most of the grunt work is picked up by the Stampers and Weisman. But one can imagine the little things have some effect on the big picture or something am I right or am I right?

With Stevens, Weisman and big brother Josh by their side, Ben and Vesper even feel comfortable enough to affect grandiosity that they might not otherwise be inclined to approach. But these hints of musical sophistication canít help but seemed at least a little contrived. If it wasnít for the charm and sincerity of the bandís principals, it would easily be over the top. And in that sense, the only thing that grounds this album is parenthood. It neutralizes the abrasive eccentricities and turns them piquant. A playful and inviting record for sure, even if a bit too precious.

Amplifier Magazine
The couple that records together isnít necessarily the couple that stays togetheróThe White Stripes, Superchunk and Quasi are evidence enough to support that. Hearing the sweet harmonies of married duo Ben + Vesper however, one gets a sense that these two are inseparable. On their debut album All This Could Kill You, Ben + Vesper quite literally make beautiful music together. Benís voice is a deep and crooning presence, much like that of the Magnetic Fieldsí Stephin Merritt, while Vesper plays his angelic counterpart, all sweet and dreamy. Musically, they go for an equally dream-like approach, as on the stunning ìDoor to Doorî or the catchy, gorgeous ìAn Honest Bluff.î Thereís something special about these two, something that one can only glean from hearing their delicate melodies. Itís not explicit or cutesy, but thereís definitely a lot of love on this album.
--Jeff Terich

Treblezine.com
On espoused duo Ben + Vesper's debut LP All This Could Kill You, the opening track "Door to Door" portrays a jittery Prufrock character looking for the nearest window out of what seems to be some white collar dinner party. Crooned by Ben Stamper's languid baritone, he thinks to himself, "Go on, introduce yourself or they will do it for you."

From what little notice this album has received thus faródespite being well-crafted and one of the most incredulously honest portraits of familial life to have emerged in recent musicóthat line is given rather undue notice. It is, admittedly, attention-grabbing and conveniently within the first minute of play. But while there is a negative streak aplenty throughout the album's 13 tracks that scoff at the virtues of day jobs and less than affable county clerks, what stands out most is the delicate attention that is given to the oblique day-to-day fray.

Tracks like "8 Mo." that doll out the mandatory praise of a pregnant "women-to-be," or "An Honest Bluff" that deals with maxed-out credit cards and the grades of slacker kids, better say what it is this husband-and-wife team know best. That includes the endless chore of sorting through "stacks of slips and memos left for the dead" that slowly settle and petrify into a "bloody monument" that causes the couple to blurt in unison, "I want to live in the country."

The album's finale, "When Life Strikes," relays their simple musings: "Who knows the true weight of the newborn?/ Who knows the temp of an outdoor pool?" In the hands of most, such minutiae of home life might be handled with a great deal of pretension -- such as clichÈ ramblings on extramarital affairs or teenage pregnancy. That is to say it only feels authentic when it actually is authentic; it can't be faked, at least well. And if the extension of thanks to their "families and our babysitters" found in the liner notes is any clue, the determination it took to put these songs to tape was no lurched effort.

Still, were it not for a pinpointed production from Daniel Smith (of psych-pop group Danielson/Danielson Familye) in his New Jersey studio, Stamper's throaty vocals could have very well stripped these otherwise carefully pieced songs into bland, atonal drifts. Without Smith's careful ear, Kill You could have easily slipped into a low-fi messónot unlike Grizzly Bear's often overlooked debut Horn of Plenty that greatly compares to its successor thanks to lousy production valuesóespecially during the atmospheric drones of "Force Field" or layered guitar chimes on "The Carnival." As is, though, the duo's subtle hooks and complex (or sometimes seemingly amorphous) structures are brought just close enough to the surface to maintain their mystique, without seeming too riddled. The added timbres from back-up guitarist Joshua Stamper, splashes of marimba from old friend Chris Weisman, as well as members of the Smith family (including Daniel himself contributing finger snaps, whistles and, according to the liner notes, robot dancing), also gave a melodic weight to the very moody and densely introspective ballads.

Perhaps most recognizable among the names is longtime Danielson Famile compatriot Sufjan Stevens, who offered up his trademark banjo plucks, emo piano rushes, and even tossed in a few strains of oboe and recorder. All this to say, Kill You is a difficult album on a number of levels, but one that is at times pitch-perfect, brooding and an obvious labor of love for all involved.

Similar Albums:
Danielson - Ships
Magnetic Fields - The Charm of the Highway Strip
Yo La Tengo - Summer Sun

The Hartford Courant
May 31, 2007
Lush Tunes Become Indelibly Stampered
By ERIC R. DANTON

Pressing play on Ben + Vesper's full-length debut is like stepping into someone's intricately arranged parlor. It's insular and unfamiliar at first and a little murky - almost stuffy. You adjust soon enough, though, and begin to notice exquisite details.

Instead of Queen Anne end tables and brocade wallpaper, husband-and-wife duo Ben and Vesper Stamper deal in low-key melodies and hazy alternative-pop arrangements on 13 songs with subtle charms. The Stampers met in art school a decade ago and married, and they started writing songs together when stabs at separate musical careers fizzled. They seem made for each other as they sing oblique non-sequiturs about an eclectic array of topics, including (one supposes) the relative benefits of having missed out on celebrity on "An Honest Bluff" and the expectant joy of pregnancy on "8 MO."

The musical touches are just as offbeat as they glide smoothly by, creating slow-motion soundscapes that pulse gently like a sweltering, lethargic afternoon. Meandering organ hums behind "The Floridian," and a moody minor-key guitar arpeggio sulks in the background of "The Stomach" as organ, old-world accordion and whistling build to the verge of lush, subdued psychedelia.

Few of the songs bother with typical structures - don't go listening for hooks or refrains - but they're melodic and inventive, and the instrumental textures provide plenty of ear-catching edges.

Spin
June 5, 2007
Beware the pitfalls of riding on indie-rock coattails

The Sufjan Seal of Approval ought to be indie hard currency, but Stevens can only nudge doors open -- he can't bestow the mellifluous subtlety of his own work on his friends. And with their flaccid, too-cool folk pop, husband-and-wife songwriters Ben and Vesper Stamper squander any love by association they might've earned from their guest banjoist/oboist. Ben's flat, remote vocals suggest seriousness, but he mostly sounds bored, even when he ought to be pleased (the syrupy ode to a newborn "8 Mo.") or excited (the murky ode to life "Live Free or Try"). When Vesper chimes in, things brighten up considerably -- think Ida and early Low -- but even those spikes aren't really worth the wait. JOSH MODELL (Thanks, Josh! We love you!)

Harp
Combining the quirky side of husband Ben with the folky side of wife Vesper, All This Could Kill You falls under some strange, avant-folk-pop umbrella. The songs feel honest, sincere and very human, yet a bit mundane and flat. Subject matter revolves around domestic affairs such as ìslacker kidís report cardsî (ìAn Honest Bluffî), electricity being shut off (ìLive Free Or Tryî), and ìbuying snacksî (ìThe Stomachî). Ben sings in a low, monotone sing-talk manner, but heís bolstered by Vesperís beautiful backing vocals and accordion; one only wishes she received more of the limelight. Although the album features guest spots by Sufjan Stevens and David Smith (Danielson), they blend into the tapestry, never allowed room to really shine. The debut full-length from these two art school musicians leaves very little impression, its chief strength being that of indifference and a mellow mood in the face of lifeís constant, painful minutiae.

By Aaron Kayce - First printed in June 2007

BoomKat
ew on Danielson's Sounds Familyre label comes this debut album by husband and wife team Ben and Vesper Stamper. The album is a co-production with label boss Daniel Smith and features contributions from all manner of friends and family members including some notable work by a certain Sufjan Stevens, who does a spot of singing in addition to contributing banjo, piano, oboe and recorder to name but a few instruments. While Sufjan was a fully-fledged collaborator on the recent Rosie Thomas album, he takes a comparatively understated role here - this is all very much Ben and Vesper's show, and it's an album composed from top class indie pop songwriting and elaborate multi-instrumental arrangements that keep each of the thirteen songs sounding fresh. Key to the success of the album is Ben's voice, which carries the kind of baritone gravitas you might hear in a young Scott Walker, which is at its best on a track like 'Vow Takers', when it's set against Vesper's soft, wispy tones. Beautiful.

The Drop
Ben + Vesper latest release All This Could Kill You is just out from the ultra cool New Jersey troop at Sounds Familyre. You donít have to take my word that itís worth listening to - hereís a few reviews but do make sure you check out the bio of Ben + Vesper (the virtual Bonnie and Clyde of the indie world).

Paste
Husband-and-wife duo makes insular art-pop on unassuming debut
From the slippers and bathtub on the cover to the themes of domesticity woven through their softly malted harmonies, Ben and Vesper Stamper want nothing more than to draw you into their inner world. Because the couple deals in such intimate gestures, the moments where they break from the tinkling din of electric guitars and brushed drums stand out most clearly, from the sing-along melodies and prancing piano lines of ìRockaway Twp.î to the dramatically swirling chorus of ìThe Floridian.î The album certainly isnít without its quirks, though, as Sufjan Stevens and co-producer Daniel Smith fill out the backing band, adding extra textural color to what often feels more like an overheard conversation than a pop album.

Indiebloggen
Harmonier mellom m¯rk og mystisk mannsvokal og lys og svevende kvinnevokal har alltid vÊrt en favoritt. Og det er slike harmonier som er essensen i musikken til Ben + Vesper, som kom min vei via Sufjan Stevens, ydmyk bidragsyter pÂ lÂtene med banjo, piano, treblÂsere og forsiktig vokal.

Ben er lÂtskriver og hovedperson med sin karismatiske, kraftige stemme, mens kona Vesper er hans yang, hun pynter de rolige, fine folk-visene med lys og hviskende kvinnelighet. Bandet er altsÂ et familieprosjekt, og sangene handler i stor grad om familielivet og hverdagens pr¯velser. Det h¯res jo veldig jordnÊrt ut, men jeg vil ikke av den grunn si at musikken er like jordnÊr; det er riktignok smÂ og forsiktige viser, men de er likevel komplekse, kompliserte og tidvis dramatiske.

Ben + Vespers debutalbum All This Could Kill You er ute nÂ.

Cargo Records
Produced and recorded by Daniel Smith (Danielson), this 13-song album smartly navigates through wildly disparate genres and styles and lands squarely in the ranks of good music that you simply cannot be without.

The great strength of this album is the mystical connection that is instantly apparent between the couple at the helm.Together, they worked tirelessly to forge the backdrop of sound that has you edging ever closer to your speakers. Their arrangements are fine tuned in their complexities, yet breathe the air of improvisation that reference the hardship and playfulness of life while flatly condemning the cold claws of irony that have gripped so much independent music today. All This Could Kill You is an album that is 100% human and still winsome to the masses. This recording achieves what all timeless music does: to look squarely at the sufferings of this life and hold out hope like a weapon for all to wield, and to have fun all the while.

Sufjan Stevens
"In an era heavy-laden with singleness (as the latest statistics boast), Ben + Vesper's beautiful, oddball musicology is a refreshing thesis for marriage without pandering to all the naive notions of matrimony. It's not a record of love on Hallmark's terms; instead, it's a vigilant scrutiny of the day-today expeditions of home and work: child-rearing, car mechanic, credit card, grade point average, and washing machine, to name a few. In Ben + Vesper's songs, the standard domestic life begins to feel as grotesque as a Bukowski poem, just without all the profanities. " Sufjan Stevens

Philadelphia Daily News
Ben + Vesper: The daring, twisted turns of their chamber folk and haunting vocal harmonies lure you in. But what makes Ben + Vesper especially charming are their playfully obtuse lyrics.Sharing this compatible bill ó MV &l EE, Greg Weeks (of Espers) and Festival. Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, 215-739-9684, www.johnnybrendas.com.

Eureka Times-Standard
3 stars
This husband-and-wife duo's second album is not cute or cloying like some married bands can be; Ben Stamper's low drawl (which recalls Nick Cave or Stephen Merritt) and Vesper Stamper's smoky alto are usually singing plain, peculiar lyrics like ìI'm here to buy some snacks for my kidsî and ìhide away my jewelry/ before the little ones find out/ you maxed out the cardî in unison over folksy instrumentation, assisted by Daniel Smith (Danielson Famile) and Sufjan Stevens. It all makes for a 70s-inspired family affair, with just enough of a weird edge to be interesting.

New HAven Register
Ben + Vesper sit in with friends for 'All This'
Patrick Ferrucci, Register Entertainment Editor
06/21/2007
The pending a rival of a second child is what changed how Ben and Vesper Stamper made music. For t e longest time, the husband-and-wife duo had a way of working, but then Ben went to the Bowery Ballroom, and everything was different.

"We have two kids, and right before our second was born, there was a desire to have this creative push before the kid," explains Ben. "We didn't know what to expect; we had hit our stride with our first child. The second one was new territory. (Longtime friend and band member) Chris Weisman and I went to a Feathers show at the Bowery. It was mind-blowing and it struck me and hit me deeply. I went home and I was like, ëI have to do something right now.' I began writing for this album, and as I wrote, I asked Vesper to sing and then it became a project."

For the longest time, Ben backed up Vesper on her songs, but she didn't help out on his projects. So the recently released "All This Could Kill You" was a change for the Jersey couple.

"I would always ask if he wanted to collaborate," recalls Vesper of her husband, "but he would say no. And that was great, but when he asked me to do this, it was brand new. He created the project with an intention for me to just play piano because I have the kids and I also teach and I don't have the creative space I used to. It was nice to have this little niche carved out in our life to be creative."

The duo worked on the demos together, using very minimal arrangements of vocals and a lone electric guitar around Ben's songs. When they finished, Ben sent them off to friend and Danielson main man Daniel Smith. The multi-instrumentalist and freak-folk guru loved what he heard and volunteered to produce a record. And that's when "All This Could Kill You" became a family affair.

"It felt kind of like a party," says Ben. "Daniel asked us to choose musicians that we felt most comfortable with and that could bring interesting things to the project. He wanted us to feel good about the players on it. We approached it that way, rather than finding the greatest piano player in the world or something. For Vesper and I, that was really important, because we wanted it to sound like we're playing in our living room. Listening to the record now, it definitely brings us back when we listen to it."

The results of the recording process is a 13-song timeless folk record, one steeped in the sounds of old folk, but modernized with layers of instrumentation that do not take away from the duo's vivid vocal harmonies. It's a final product very different than the one Ben + Vesper expected.

"For Vesper and I, our original intention was much more minimal productions," explains Ben. "So we didn't know what the sound was going to be like. We told everyone involved to start thinking about arrangements for their own instruments, so they had begun some work beforehand. They had some ideas, But Vesper and I had no idea what it would end up being like. Once our initial tracking was done, we got to work on the actual arrangements. So in that sense, it was really collaborative and exciting to see the songs transformed from what we thought they were into what they are."

"I just think he's a great songwriter," adds Vesper, "and the songs are so beautiful. And because they're not conventional, they could go in so many directions. Even now when we play them live, it's funny because they sound almost like Motown or doo-wop. To help flesh them with everybody was so much fun.

"I really thought it would sound (dreamy, ethereal and simple) like Mazzy Star or something like that, but once everyone got involved, it ended up being a pop album. And even though (collaborators) Josh (Stamper) and Chris (Weisman) are both trained in jazz, they fit together in this like marshmallows and Lucky Charms, just perfectly."

Good Night Cigarettes blog
Rating: B

Balance is a delicate art: shift a bit too much in one direction or another, and itís thrown. As a result, striking the so-called ëperfect balanceí is tricky business, and rarely does anyone get it truly right. However, some individuals come mighty closeóBen + Vesper being two of them.

On All This Could Kill You, the husband-and-wife duo weaves a patchwork of various sounds and styles, playing one element off another and, ultimately, making an elegant balancing act out of their debut. Touches of avant-pop, folk and mid-í90s slowcore all can be heard, but no one genre dominates; rather, they all intermingle into a cohesive whole, which at times can be light, floating and beautiful, and at others, tough and dissonant.

And with this union of the harmonious and the inharmonious, it should come to little surprise then that All This Could Kill You is produced by Daniel Smith, whoís made a career out of this approach with his own Danielson projects. His rich, organic production instills the record with a warm and generally inviting air, giving equal weight to Benís deep Scott Walker-styled voice (typically backed by Vesperís harmonies) and the intricate arrangements that back it. A few other members of Smithís famile also join Ben + Vesper, such as the producerís wife Elin, brother David and friend Sufjan, who help contribute to the variety of stringed instruments, organs and percussive devices that fill the album.

Only for a brief period in the recordís middle section does Ben, Vesper and friends stumble slightly. A few overly dark numbers, such as ìThe Stomachî and ìForce Field,î drag in comparison to the more optimistic, upbeat oneís, like ìRockaway Twpî and ìAn Honest Bluffî (a track that sounds remarkably like American Analog Set meets Bedhead).

But overall, Ben + Vesper are rarely thrown, carefully balancing all weights and measures into an album well worth investigating.
- Brock Thiessen