From the brand new album The Judgement, an elusive George Bendemann celebrates the unrivalled embrace of organic, unplugged, poetic storytelling and music, with the wonderfully compelling folk single Well.
Inspired by the album Hobo’s Lullaby, by Arlo Guthrie, as well as James Taylor’s project One Man Dog, the style follows a simple arpeggio picking pattern on the acoustic guitar, and a nostalgically deep folk vocal, which rises and falls with a Johnny Cash-esque sense of simplicity and contrasting lyrical depth.
The topic here takes subtle inspiration from the story The Judgement, by Frank Kafka. This album in full relays scenes from the story of Jude – a man who kills someone in self-defence, then goes on the run; ultimately seeking and achieving redemption. Well explores the moment in the story when Jude comes across a well in the forest, and proceeds to quietly reflect upon himself and his journey in the solitude of his surroundings. The presentation is completely in tune with this idea, and as such delivers the same sense of serenity and reflection to listeners who delve in.
There’s a refreshingly raw authenticity to the recording of these songs. Amidst the overwhelming and often disappointing rise of AI production and writing, there’s something all the more piercingly genuine about a simple, unedited recording of a human – their natural voice, and their solo instrument – telling stories, being real, connecting for the timeless and universal appeal of song.
Well is a melodic and lyrical highlight from The Judgement, a humble earworm with a complexity of tale that fascinates and aptly creates interest in the rest of the project.
