Stream: Benjamin Jaffe, ‘Dominator’

Kevin Bronson on September 25th, 2017

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Now it’s Benjamin Jaffe’s turn. The male half of the she/he folk-rock duo Honeyhoney was biding his time while bandmate Suzanne Santos rolled out her solo album “Ruby Red” this summer. Now Jaffe has unveiled his first solo work since Honeyhoney decided to take a hiatus after 10 years and three albums. Jaffe’s forthcoming album is titled “Oh Wild Ocean of Love,” a wild ride encompassing warped folk, indie-rock and a whiff of the whimsical balladry (absent some misanthropic tendencies) you might hear in Father John Misty. Jaffe bends guitar notes, fidgets with rhythms and plays wryly with words over 10 tracks that are full of surprises. At one point, he confesses, “These days I’m making lazy music / Trying to settle with my ways,” but this album is anything but lazy. The single he released today is the album closer, “Dominator,” an indie-rocker about a power struggle. “The creator has made us something harsh / from semen and scars and luxury cars,” he sings, reminding the “dominata” who the dominator is. Read what you will into the lyrics, but this one will make you want to listen to “Oh Wild Ocean of Love” last-to-first.

||| Watch: The video for “Dominator”