Tomorrow Waits (studio album) by Ben Lester

Overall, this album is exactly what a debut should be. It is messy, somewhat unfocused, but it has a lot of great and interesting ideas. It oozes it’s own unique style: a sombre, dreamy feel that combines beautiful organ peices with creative guitar riffs. It’s patchy, but when it hits its stride it really shines.
Track 1 - The album starts with a bold showcase of Ben’s unique creativity. It feels like a blend of many ideas, but Ben manages to form a coherent song that feels fresh right to the very end of the 9 minute mark. A fantastic opening.
Track 2 - Another brilliant track. We get our first glimpse of the organ that will define much of the album, and it helps carry the emotion that peirces this track. A good example of a song that manages to be anthemic and still convey heart-felt emotion (which’ll become important later)
Track 3 - A lovely end to side A. Blending lyrics from the first 2 tracks into a comletely new sound. That churchy organ from the previous track takes the spot light, and it creates a beautiful meloncholic ambience. Great use of layering and vocals. Some of the best lyrics and vocals of the album (which can be patchy). Side A is pretty much solid.
Track 4 - Side B starts much weaker then its forbearer. The vocal style changes, losing a lot of its emotion. The lyrics are quite cheesy, too. That being said, the instrumentation is good. It almost sounds inspired by the Eels. This one had big potential, but doesn’t fully realise it.
Track 5 - This is another really great track. I love that boppy percusion. My only real quarm is that it doesn’t really progress from the opening sound. A shame, as otherwise this is some A* stuff.
Track 6 - This is definitely the worst track on the album. The lyrics feel ad-libbed and kinda meaningless. To me, it seems like this track is here to try and insert another anthem after the the last slower song. However, pep without substance comes off as hollow. It also seems to disregard the style meticulously built up through the other songs. I get that it forms a function, but I feel it weakens the album as a whole.
Track 7 - A poetic and eerie song. The opening is good, but when this song hits its stride it is very good. My biggest issue is that it took too long to get to that high, and when it gets there it doesn’t stay on it long enough. One of the higher tracks.
Track 8 - A truly fantastic song. It also features probably the best lyrics on the entire album: ‘I am lost. Never here, always there’. The lyrics feel meaningful and the vocals take care to show it. It manages to feel big with just one piano. This song basically takes 1 riff and makes it feel fresh and interesting. Minimal, and yet grand. And that ending is honestly one of the best endings to a song I can think of. Masterful.
Track 9 - A good track that seeps with Ben Lester style. Not one of the most memorable tracks of the album, but still good.
Track 10 - An unfortunately underwhelming ending. Overuse of layered vocals, that muddies the song somewhat. The guitar riff is good, but there are better ones on the album. A sad ending, considering the emotional, big crescendoing piece Ben is capable of.
In conclusion, I am very impressed by the record. Though the songs differ in quality, the best ones are a delight, creating not only a unique style, but a unique feeling that permiates through the tracks: a feeling of meloncholly beauty (spearheaded by the ambient organ and the expressive guitar). I really hope this is the feeling Ben takes and expands on in future endeavours.