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Marco Benevento: TigerFace

Royal Potato Family

When artists who specialize in instrumental music use vocals, it can seem forced—like a stunt. That’s not the case with keyboardist Marco Benevento, whose warm, approachable melodies have always beckoned for lyrics. On TigerFace, his fourth studio release to date, Benevento offers three songs with words, each of which comes off as natural as waking up or breathing. Featuring surreal lyrics and Rubblebucket’s Kalmia Traver on ethereal lead vocals, the bouncy, whimsical “Limbs of a Pine” feels indebted to new wave, but also to Benevento’s sometime collaborator Mike Gordon. “Escape Horse,” a powerful, determined instrumental, actually includes Gordon, on buried in-the-mix mandolin and dark, rumbling bass. Fueled by Tortoise drummer John McEntire’s heavy, uncluttered beat, “Soma” rides a wave of ominous piano harmonies and wily Mini moog riffage. And “Eagle Rock” opens with a strong, funky groove from Andrew Barr before ascending into a world full of hopeful strings and lyrics about “letting it go.”