Toronto singer-producer Ben Gunning releases new album, No Magic Hand
Ben Gunning is one of those musicians whose restless creativity is the source of their forward momentum. He’s also someone who has maintained a steady, albeit measured, stream of output since he co-founded the fêted indie rock outfit Local Rabbits at age 14. Throughout the 1990s, the young band released albums on Murderecords, toured with notable contemporaries like Sloan, Superfriends, and Inbreds, and performed at festivals such as Edgefest and Lilith Fair (as Neko Case’s band).
Following the band’s dissolution in 2000, Gunning has continued to serve up a new sonic palette with each subsequent recording. From the eccentric, soulful rock of his debut to the nimble, colourful house-infected sound of 2019’s Nature, he has made a habit out of perpetually reframing his songwriting while endeavouring to embrace the full breadth of his various influences.
The album, No Magic Hand skillfully intertwines several threads that can be heard in his more recent work. On one hand, it’s full of the buoyant electronic rhythms that characterized Nature, but on the other, it also picks up on the detailed and organic sound design found on Muldrew (2019, Séance Centre), the noted LP on which he partnered with acclaimed saxophonist and composer Joseph Shabason.
No Magic Hand is also Gunning’s first truly solo full-length release—he performed, recorded, and produced everything himself (mastering engineer Joe Lambert is his lone collaborator). While his usual cadre of collaborators is typically tasked with bringing his intricate arrangements to life, the more solitary sonics of this new album makes it his most vibrant and focused collection yet, tracing an arc that both satisfies and surprises. And the release also marks another first. It’s his debut outing for Toronto’s Halocline Trance, the feverishly eclectic imprint curated by David Psutka of ACT!/ Egyptrixx notoriety and featuring artists such as Myst Milano, Colin Fisher, Anamai, Casey MQ, and Stefana Fratila.
Listen to No Magic Hand below and learn more about Ben via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
I am a Toronto musician originally from Toronto. I come from a singer/songwriter indie rock background but, though I am still very interested in melody, harmony, arrangement, and lyrics, I try to explore these elements in a way that dodges the conventional song form of pop music, hopefully blurring the lines between songwriting, sound design, ambient music, and dance genres.
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
No Magic Hand is my fifth “solo” record and a logical continuation of the direction I’ve been evolving towards since 2005. The previous couple of records were more collaborative with many of my regular Toronto friends/collaborations contributing musical duties and singing. This one was entirely played, sung, and mixed by me which I haven’t done since 2005. I’m happy with the record. It kind of represents where I’m at over the last couple of years in my taste.
Where do you tend to pull inspiration from when writing?
I try to avoid the songwriter tropes by either exploring subject matter that doesn’t normally get attention from songwriters or by trying to at least take a unique angle. My writing 10 years ago or more was very clinical. For example, my second record, Mal de Mer, was a 13-song concept album written from the perspective of a cruise ship employee. I have an educational background in anthropology that helped me step outside the culture abut, so to speak, and be an observer, which helped me come at things a bit differently. For the last few years, I’ve been aiming for a more impressionistic approach which, though it may seem contradictory, is more of a challenge for me. I’m trying to use fewer words.
Do you have any upcoming shows you’d like to tell us about?
I have an album coming out with Joseph Shabason – our second duo recording on Seance Centre. We’ll do a release show for that. I just had a big release show with an 8 piece band for No Magic Hand so now I’ll start planning more shows hopefully with that group.
What’s your goal for 2023?
Probably get a new record mostly written and play a few more shows.