Mutual Benefit are one of those bands who seem to cause intense love or adoration among their fans. Having become a mini-internet sensation over the last few months as people on this side of the pond have slowly discovered the baroque masterpieces that they have steadily been releasing digitally, it wasn't long before the broadsheets were proclaiming them the next big thing. Crushing praise for some but Mutual Benefit seem to take it in their stride.
Not that they are a band in the real sense, more a revolving door enterprise for singer-songwriter Jordan Lee and his band of merry men and women. A sort of experiment in folk and one that has resulted in this first physical release, Love's Crushing Diamond.
A selection of baroque folk pieces, these songs conjure a mood rather than a single meaning and contains a resolute “Englishness” to it all which is all the more interesting considering Jordan et al come from Boston, Texas. A certain Conor O'Brien crops up on repeated listens too as Villagers become something of a yardstick to latch these songs to.
Not that Mutual Benefit have anything in the way of approaching song like the Villagers, they rely mainly on the feeling that nature is all around. The excellent use of instrumentation shines through these songs giving them a sort of afterglow which can only be achieved in those early morning hours. They know how to craft some delicious melodies and utterly gorgeous syncopations as the music ebbs and flows through your soul.
For such a beautifully rendered album it's a shame that the songs don't quite match up. After the first glow of bathing, the sheen soon starts to slip as you realise that underneath all that beauty is a series of quite insubstantial songs. 'Golden Wake' sort of flounders by its end which is only slightly lifted by 'Advanced Falconry' with it's delightful twin part vocals. The cinematic seems to sink into a dull morass which ultimately leaves you feeling a little flat and more than a little bored.
They do have something special going on and their music is gorgeous. A little more substance and this could have been so much better but that's life and given time Mutual Benefit may yet release a classic. In the meantime they can be content with the knowledge that Love's Crushing Diamond will at least reach a fair few people.
