RADICAL FACE / The Family Tree: The Bastards [2015]

Before the release of each installment of his Family Tree trilogy, Radical Face put out a free EP of songs that didn't quite fit with the rest of their respective albums.
The suitably titled The Bastards is a complete collection of all 11 songs in a tidy little package that is just as quality a listen as each of the trilogy albums are.  These aren't throwaway songs by any means and in fact some songs are stronger than the albums they were originally meant for, they just didn't mesh with the pacing or tonal textures of their immediate family.  They are the mismatched black sheep if you will.  Twisted and quirky but still pack in enough heart to break and mend it with warm caring tired hands.

4 lovely little lies out of 5

Songs of Note: Baptisms; Nightclothes

RADICAL FACE / The Family Tree: The Leaves [2016]

2016's The Leaves completes Radical Face's Family Tree trilogy about the fictional supernatural Northcote family of yesteryear.
Still holding onto the same sparse instrumentations of the previous installments, Cooper merely layers on top of them with subtle strings sections, gentle electric guitar and humming synths.  The lyrics might supposed to be about the Northcotes but one can't help but feel the closer Cooper got to his characters the more his own trials & tribulations spilled into the mix.  It's clear The Family Tree was never a linear form of storytelling but more like snapshots of the all the important times in a lost soul's life.  The lyrics have a beautiful way of transporting the listener back to all the their good and bad times they've encountered and miraculously what they have yet to experience.

4 resurrected birds out of 5

Songs of Note:  The Ship in Port; Bad Blood

RADICAL FACE / The Family Tree: The Branches [2013]

Radical Face's second part of The Family Tree trilogy, 2013's The Branches, was a case of instant love for me.
Here we're stepping into the year 1860 through 1910 and the sound has developed a bit more adding in some more instruments and sounds but still reflecting back to the feel and heart of the first album.  Ben Cooper's lyrics are so honest and raw it sincerely compliments his soft falsetto voice that's delicate, sad and intimately personal.  Still recording in his backyard tool shed, Cooper's production isn't perfect but it's creaky enough to make you listen even closer to wrap your mind around it's minor details and off-kilter moments that make it feel all the more dear.
With it's organic textures, ethereal design and lyrical beauty, it's a constant reminder to remain grounded in a world of good, bad and everything in between.  

5 collections of scars out of 5

Songs of Note: The Mute; Reminders

RADICAL FACE / The Family Tree: The Roots [2011]

2011's The Family Tree: The Roots is the first part of a series of concept albums created by Ben Cooper (aka Radical Face).
It follows a fictional supernatural family known as the Northcotes, beginning in the 1800's with this particular album.  Recorded under a fairly limited budget and a simple ensemble of instruments gives the album a genuine traditional sound that's hazed over with a sense of distant memories, dreamy personality and deep thoughts.  Cooper has an elegant way of writing sad music to make you feel happy that at times feels hauntingly familiar and warm as it conjures up images of a fading childhood, your first love and the people you've lost over the years.

4 alcoholic wooden hearts out of 5

Songs Of Note: The Moon Is Down; Always Gold

RADICAL FACE / Ghost [2007]

Ben Cooper's first solo album 2007's Ghost is one of those albums I wonder why I don't listen to more often than I do.
Recording under the name Radical Face, Cooper crafts a quiet little folk-rock concept album about the life & death of a well-aged house. Deceivingly simple sounding, Cooper layers on gentle walls of sound that create such a wonderfully haunting mood that's simultaneously warm and chilling. His vocals are a little nasally and limited, but if you can get past that you have a real winner here.

4 distant thoughts on the mantle out of 5

Songs Of Note: Welcome Home, Son; Wrapped In Piano Strings