The Rebirth of Venus explained
The Rebirth of Venus is the seventh studio album by Australian indie pop musician Ben Lee, released on 10 February 2009 by New West Records.[1]
A portion of the proceedings attained from the record are to be donated to FINCA International's village banking program. A press release said FINCA "offers financial services, not charity, to the world's lowest-income women entrepreneurs. This creates jobs, builds assets and generally improves the standard of living in these destitute communities."[2]
Critical response to the album has been largely negative, with particular mention of the song 'I'm a Woman, Too' (which Andrew P Street of Time Out Sydney described as reaching "a conclusion so baffling that it defies any criticism that isn't expressed via a crowbar to the jaw").
The album features Missy Higgins, Nic Johns, Cary Brothers, Patience Hodgson, John Alagia (Ripe producer) and Lara Meyerratken.[2]
Track listing
- All songs written by Ben Lee, except where noted.
- "What's So Bad (About Feeling Good)" – 4:39
- "Surrender" – 3:16
- "Sing" – 3:15
- "I Love Pop Music" – 3:35
- "Rise Up" – 4:25
- "Yoko Ono" – 3:42
- "Boy with a Barbie" – 3:27
- "Bad Poetry" (Lee, Carrick Moore Gerety) – 3:41
- "Blue Denim" – 4:03
- "Wake Up to America" (Lee, Jason Schwartzman) – 4:27
- "I'm a Woman, Too" – 3:21
- "Families Cheating at Board Games" – 5:42
- "Song for the Divine Mother of the Universe" – 3:38
Bonus CD (Limited 2CD version)
- "New Wave" (originally by Against Me!)
- "Rock Boys" (originally by The Grates)
- "Ben Lee" (originally by The Ataris)
- "Woman Is the Nigger of the World" (originally by John Lennon)
- "Kids" (originally by MGMT)
- "Throw Your Arms Around Me" (originally by Hunters and Collectors)
Personnel
- John Alagia, Cary Brothers, Justin Carroll, Michael Chavez, Brian Conrad, Missy Higgins, Patience Hodgson, Laura Jansen, Melissa McCarty, Eric Robinson, Ione Skye, Maria Teresa Suarez, Olivia Asta Wood, Vanessa Wood: backing vocals
- Jack Graddis: guitars
- Nick Johns: acoustic, electric and bass guitars, autoharp, keyboards, piano, drums, percussion
- Ben Lee: electric and acoustic guitars, piano
- Travis Aaron McNabb: drums, percussion
- Lara Meyerratken: acoustic, electric and bass guitars, keyboards, piano, drums, percussion
- Jason Nesmith: slide guitar
- Kate Netto: percussion, backing vocals
- Ezra Reich: guitars
- Chick Wolverton: percussion
- Brad Wood: electric and synthesized bass, drums, percussion
Production
- Produced and mixed by Brad Wood
- Recorded and engineered by Nick Johns (drums), Mike Terry (drums) and Brad Wood
- Mastered by Greg Calbi
Notes and References
- Web site: Ben Lee - Rebirth Of Venus Press Release. New West Records. 2009-02-06.
- Web site: Ben Lee Announces The Rebirth of Venus. Paste Magazine. 2009-02-06.
