Ben Ripani – Pangea

If you have ever tried to write and compose songs, or you’ve been a musician who has been on hiatus for years, you probably know how hard it is to leave the creative process behind and dedicate yourself to some other endeavors. When you have that urge to compose, perform, and record music all the time but have other obligations in life, it can be so stressful and difficult for an artist, especially on an emotional level, but someday, it pays off with an eventual comeback, resulting in emotionally resonant music that feels so relatable in many possible ways. Ben Ripani, a Chicago-born and now Nashville-based singer-songwriter, is certainly one of those musicians who had a similar trajectory in his career, but returned with a fine piece of sonic artistry that will unquestionably appeal to anyone who’s looking for emotionally resonant, cleverly assembled, and flawlessly performed music. With “Pangea,” his extended play release consisting of seven marvelous songs, he explains what makes us human by launching us on an epic journey through the expansive sonic universe. By exploring grief, loss, and midlife transformation, his songs tackle various sentiments, emotional states, moods, situations, and circumstances, making “Pangea” highly relatable material that will immediately appeal to a broader audience. Sonically, the artist showcases his wide array of interests and styles by combining a singer-songwriter approach with some of the finest properties of indie folk, alt-folk, alt-country, Americana, acoustic rock, and many other genres. You’ll hear how all these sonic ingredients lurk around, dominating throughout the entire songs or serving as more than necessary enhancements, accentuations, or decorations that definitely elevate the entire material to an entirely new level. With all these approaches, techniques, and styles included, “Pangea” stands as a captivating material that will suit even the pickiest listeners. It’s certainly one of those recordings you do not want to miss.

With the initial notes and beats, you’ll notice Ben Ripani’s exceptional sonic range. It’s a perfect introductory piece that effortlessly blends everything you dearly love about alt-country, alt-folk, and Americana music, fully stacked with beautiful vocal arrangements and performances, lush guitar and keyboard works, intricate basslines, and well-accentuated rhythmic patterns. This song has that addictive, hypnotic, irresistible melody and harmony that immediately wraps around your listening apparatus and refuses to let go long after this extended play ends. You’ll also notice how all the orchestration expands with each new segment, making this song even more luxurious. “To Be Brave” paces up a little bit, but it retains in those calm, soothing, relaxing waters thanks to the complex, memorable, catchy piano leads, themes, melodies, and powerful chord progressions delivered on both acoustic and electric guitar. Ben Ripani’s voice sounds so incredible here, delivering more melody, depth, and complexity over the top. In the meantime, the exceptional drumming performance brings more than necessary groove and pace, while the bass guitar exemplifies how this instrument should resonate in alt-country songs. Another detail worth praising is how Ben Ripani thinks about the dynamics of the entire material. With the next song, “Flame,” he slows down entirely, delivering such a fascinating, ethereal, beautiful ballad where his deeply emotional vocal harmonies, fascinating piano performance, and half-time beats, he delivers one of the finest songs you’ll hear this year. His voice offers more than necessary emotional depth, detail, and complexity while perfectly balancing all those low, mid, and high notes with such precision and finesse. ”4 O’clock” carries a similar atmosphere, but for this particular tune, Ben Ripani aimed for a more stripped-down folk song where the beautiful sounds of banjo and acoustic guitar support his powerful vocal performance. The way his voice travels from lows to highs goes beyond comprehension so many times throughout the entire composition. It’s a perfect folk composition that will immediately end up on your playlist.

With “Right Back To It,” the artist brings that familiar Nashville sound. This particular composition resonates with such a calm, soothing, ethereal atmosphere, achieved by combining moderate beats, warm-sounding basslines, a blend of acoustic and guitar works, lush keys, and Ripani’s emotive vocal performance. His voice brings so much melody with each low, mid, and high note, and it certainly acts as another instrument in this mesmerizing sonic equation. The choruses are empowered by additional vocal layers, back vocals, and sing-alongs, making “Right Back To It” so anthemic and powerful. Ben Ripani’s songwriting, composing, arranging, and producing abilities are also vividly hearable on “Weigh,” another beautiful song where all those fundamental elements of Americana, alt-folk, indie folk, and pop folk shine in the limelight. The jangly, angular chord progressions, harmonies, and melodies, and intricate, warm, deep, groovy basslines sound so colossal together, while the pedal steel and keys bring those soothing, ethereal sounds, creating such memorable segments. The beats keep as steady and moderate as possible, but they’re so perfectly accentuated to the point where they emphasize every melody, harmony, and chord progression flawlessly. This epic sonic journey comes to an end with “Arock,” another catchy, memorable, captivating folk song. It’s another fine piece of sonic artistry where Ripani’s voice, acoustic guitars, and keys dominantly shine in the mix, but as the song progresses, the artist includes pedal steel, bass guitar, and percussions. The artist keeps this song as calm as possible, making it a perfect overture that forces you to revisit this material all over again. “Pangea” brings a one-of-a-kind listening experience to anyone even remotely interested in folk, Americana, country, and rock music. It’s one of those recordings packed with nothing but radio hits, forcing you to revisit not only separate songs, but the entire extended play. Ben Ripani proves he’s a brilliant songwriter, composer, and producer, capable of delivering emotionally resonant folk songs that will immediately transport you into a completely different realm. He and his collaborators have created an indie-folk masterpiece that every true folk fan will appreciate. If you love your folk music as honest, emotive, meaningful, melodic, complex, and powerful, then you should immediately put “Pangea” on your music radar. Do not miss it!