Benjamin Bland
I’m Ben and I live in York where I spend most of my time pretending to be a historian or drinking interesting beers in one of the city’s many great pubs. Sometimes I do both at the same time. It really depends on how my day is going.
Music has been my major passion for quite some time now. It’s rare that I’m not either listening to it, making it, talking about it or thinking about it, and unfortunately I’ve garnered rather a reputation amongst friends for knowing more bands than is ultimately healthy for the purposes of casual conversation. This has become more troublesome over the past couple of years, when my interests have shifted ever moreso towards the realm of experimental music types.
I’ve been writing about music now for about three years, and over that time I’ve been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to hear, see and meet tons of great artists. My career highlights in that sense would probably be interviewing two of my favourite ever musicians in Scott Kelly from Neurosis and Steven Wilson from No-Man / Porcupine Tree. Two of the most nerve-racking but ultimately enjoyable experiences of my life there.
I create ambient / drone / noise music under the name Broken Machines. My first two records sound awful to me now but I’m working on some new stuff and I promise it is much better so keep your ears peeled for news of that. I’m also in an (as yet unnamed) ‘pop’ band, set to start recording some material soon.
Keep up to date with my ramblings on music here and with my drinking here
Articles by Benjamin Bland
Has the crescendo really disappeared, or it just that our understanding of it needs to change? Benjamin Bland gets (unnecessarily?) theoretical…
Canadian sextet Your Favorite Enemies are a fairly esoteric, dare we say eccentric, bunch, as Benjamin Bland found out when he shot some questions to them across the pond…
“It’s hard to imagine decay sounding much more beautiful than on Metafather” – by Benjamin Bland
“…one of the most enjoyable and listenable jazz records I’ve heard in the past couple of years” – by Benjamin Bland
“We’re often far, far too loud. That’s a good thing, right?” – Benjamin Bland speaks to upcoming math rockers Noyo Mathis…
“…it sounds like Antlered Man are on tons of steroids, and copious amounts of Holsten Pils” – by Benjamin Bland
“If you can master that balancing act then do everything yourself…” – DIY fighting talk as Benjamin Bland talks to Leeds trio Two Trick Horse
“What’s next? Galactic Domination!!!” – Leeds favourite Bearfoot Beware get the Echoes of the Future treatment from Benjamin Bland…
“…as the world of music is ripped apart by storms of putrid rotting ambience” – by Benjamin Bland
With the third edition of the Manchester festival just around the corner we spoke to Carefully Planned organiser Matthew Boycott-Garnett about what has quickly become one of the most appealing weekend events in the UK…
“…a rock band that’s here to devour you whole, but without the courtesy to wait until you are actually looking” – by Benjamin Bland
“Incubate is, in a sense, the perfect music festival…” – by Benjamin Bland
“Whilst it would be easy to sit back and claim that this is a record that has had its influence vastly overstated by legions of critics in the years since its release, in fact it’s nigh on impossible to do so seriously…” – by Benjamin Bland
“…not so much rewarding as genuinely thought-provoking” – by Benjamin Bland
“Skull fucking rhythms” – Shields, a bunch of charming Yorkshire lads playing medieval power rock, give us the lowdown on their story – by Benjamin Bland
Postdrome (Charlie Floyd) takes us behind the scenes of his brilliant dark ambient / drone compositions in the latest Music vs Noise…
“If we told you that, we’d have to kill you.” Stern words from Youth Man to Benjamin Bland…
Easing into Always Even is like easing into a particularly tranquil dream… – by Benjamin Bland
“How did our local scene impact us? It inspired us to write heavier music…” – by Benjamin Bland
The same old argument, but worth repeating. Benjamin Bland on the Mercury Prize shortlist 2013…
