Bento ‘Diamond Days’ Review: Masterful

Bento sounds like anything but a great new band, more like a dish one prepared with multiple ingredients, like a chef salad. The brainchild and passion of Silverchair drummer Ben Gillies, in the end, it’s everything you think it’s not. This is not your usual rock album. It’s is an explosion of different rhythms. On some the tracks you hear violins and another, you hear hand claps.

Ultimately, Bento’s first album, “Diamond Days,” is upbeat and joyful.

The title track reminds you of a U2 song, like “Vertigo.” It’s catchy. The album cover for Diamond Days looks like a puzzle made of Ben Gilles face, but if you look closely, it’s the faces of all the band members.

The name on the front cover is designed to look like a child has written the name of the band with crayons. That’s the type of artistic creativity that went into this album. Playful and serene, yet masterful, it’s a pleasure.

The track titles all have unique names. One of them will remind you of an evil villain from Batman. One is even named after a holiday.

“Words of Love” sounds like song that you would hear on a Coca Cola commercial; its sounds will unite people. The acoustic guitar gives it an organic sound, and Gillies’ vocals are warm. “Westside Story” reminds you of an ‘80s pop song, with synthesizers in the background. Here, Gillies’ voice reminds you of the lead singer from The Clash.

Every track sets a different mood; some of them would be good for long drives home on the highway. Some of them would set the mood for a cold night in front of the fire place. “Miss My Mind” would keep one awake and alert, while driving because while one is listening to the song, one is also trying to decipher it too.

Gillies’ voice transitions from rock and roll to soul throughout the album; all the instruments add more definition to the rhythms of the songs. Each track paints a scene that would go with the track. “Naked next to me” sounds like outer space. The instrument that really stands out here is the drums; in the song Gillies’ vocals are near unrecognizable.

“April Fools” sounds like an old video game. Gillies’ voice drags out with every word that he sings. The lady’s voice in the background make the track more soulful and the background voices sound ghostly.
“Poison Ivy” reminds you of Nirvana, minus Kurt Cobain’s voice; it has a ‘90s feel to it. The guitar riff draws one into it and the lyrics “not even hypothetical”, sucks you in.

“How Many Times” is a danceable song, this would be a song that you could listen to if you wanted to dance. The techno beat with the guitar makes it danceable. “Obsession” is a track that you might hear at the end of and of a movie, and wonder who wrote that song, the violins sound angelic behind his raspy voice.

“Miss My Mind” sounds like a piano is getting destroyed, with static in the background, the song explodes in your ear. It’s one that you would have to listen many times in order to understand what’s going on.
The twelve tracks all tell a different story, and have a different feeling- nostalgia and even memories from childhood, quite the difference from the moody guitar driven rebelocity of Sliverchair.