Setting the tone with bold drums and an immersive bass, fused with intricate guitar riffs, Benjamin Corson opens his album Mirage with the song Cracking The Code, delivering an iconic rock frequency.
High octane and energizing, yet refined and charismatic, the guitar takes on the roll of the main protagonist in this opus. Cracking The Code contracts with psychedelic detailing that really dimensionalizes the listening experience before minimizing completely into a morse code space soundscape that has us feeling introspective.
Luxurious synths envelop us with panning frequencies, cosmic detailing and enigmatic textures. The guitar returns, with a classic riff, reminiscent of Dire Straits as the song takes on a more emotional identity before building back up sensually and giving us a solo that truly send us astral.
Benjamin Corson, who composed, arranged and mixed the whole album cites Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Doyle Bramhall II as influences, although it is clear that he is creating a universe of his own.
Wild and Free opens with the lyrics, “I do what I want and when I want it…” demonstrating that the rising artist is truly in charge of his reality as he sings, “I will not be broken…” The song demonstrates guest writer and vocalist Tim Pitchford’s iconic range as a vocalist and emotive performer. The track includes yet more epic guitar work, and has a sense of classic rock attached to the soundscape.
Next up is Dolion, which opens with a more emotive nature, with mysterious guitar melodies expanding to feature textures “ooooohs” in harmony with the track. As the track grows, so do our feelings and we are immersed in a transcendental journey.
You Are A Woman Now is the next song on the album and opens with a strum and the echoing words “shock, fear, pain, a bleeding heart experiences rejection, abandonment…” performed by Mareenez Degraff.
Luxurious choral vocals from Annie Nungan juxtapose the sometimes harsh spoken words which become more philosophical and optimistic as they continue. A high synth adds further emotion, as existential lyricism inspires us to “awaken”. The song ends with the lyrics, “hope, love and peace”, taking us from dystopia to utopia.
Next up is, MLKDBGCJ which opens with quite a subversive electric guitar lending itself to a more industrial sound. Segments of Martin Luther King’s iconic speech is featured in the track, along with crowd noise which cements the more political sentiment on the album.
Madseen opens with glistening notes, celestial details and bird sounds before the electric guitar entities us with licks and dimensionality before more enigmatic details are revealed through percussion and a music box. Strings amplify emotion and more metallic textures keep us enthralled until radio fuzz opens us back up to the guitar as protagonist.
Finally, Mirage – the title track of the EP, once again features vocals from Tim Pitchford who sings “I was so strong, but then I fell to the bottom of my sorrow…” and the introspective lyrics “I can’t make out my own reflection… no one’s gonna save me…”
The opus is an emotional journey that feels transcendental and immersive, we love the attention to detail on the record and how much effort Benjamin Corson has put into ensuring the album is not only flawlessly mixed but also super multi-dimensional.
Speaking on his creative process, the rising artist says, “What a journey… Such an important step for me as a musician. I have finally made my dream come true and held my fifteen year old aspiring guitar player promise: My own rock solo album.”
He adds with wisdom, “The most important lesson that I ve learned is that if you have a vision, just follow your heart s desire and don’t listen to anybody but you. Learning to trust yourself and not being afraid of judgment.”
You can buy the album on BandCamp and also listen to Benjamin’s almost thirty-minute composition, The Ritual.
