Mutual Benefit is a Boston (USA)-based experimental indie project from Jordan Lee with recent contributions from Andrew Morehart, Katie Pierce, Bradley Will, Marc Merza and Samuel Yager. In 2009 the debut mixtape “Figure in Black” was released by the solo Jordan Lee, a fragmented cauldron of music which played host to a mixture of sounds across its two sides. Since then Mutual Benefit has expanded its line-up and seen a slew of releases, each building upon an avant-garde framework and becoming something altogether more tangible.

So what makes Mutual Benefit stand out in a world saturated with experimental indie offerings? For starters, there is a lot to sink your teeth into. Tracks from their third release, 2010’s “Spider Heaven”, bounce merrily between the quirky charm of “Desert Island Feeling” and the melancholy beauty of “Moonville Tunnel”, while the lush waves of 2011’s “I Saw the Sea” drench the listener in a hypnotic spray of sound which is far removed from the catchy offerings of previous releases. Their latest creation, “The Cowboy’s Prayer”, mixes synthesised instruments with guitars, banjo and many layers of vocals in a pleasingly relaxed and quirky fashion.
Every track is very well produced, with subtle details vying for attention and begging for further listening. Jordan Lee also maintains an independent record label called Kassette Klub which produces music in cassette and digital formats as well as a blog and radio show.

Hopefully we will hear more from Mutual Benefit in the coming months as there is something in the music which would be the perfect accompaniment to the fallen leaves of Autumn and the crisp Winter air.

Robbie
Indiebandblog.com