If someone were to ask me if I was a fan of Ben Lee, I would honestly answer yes. Now if someone were to ask me if I was a fan of his latest effort then I would declare a firm no. Maybe you are aware of how Ben Lee came on the music scene. If not, here’s a refresher course. At the tender age of 13, Ben was in an Australian band called Noise Addict. After a few years with Noise Addict, Lee decided to go solo. With three albums under his belt (Grandpaw Would, Something to Remember Me By and Breathing Tornados) before reaching 21, he was coined the boy genius or too mature for his age (see Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes fame). I think that’s about it. Oh, forgot to mention his old girlfriend was Claire Danes and he’s collaborated with Ben Folds and Ben Kweller forming The Bens. An EP was recorded but might not see the light of day due to their respective label hindrance.

Now we are all caught up. This time around for his fourth album, Lee went searching for better production and landed producer Dan the Automater (Gorillaz, Deltron 3030). There’s not much there to grab you on this album. It has the prescribed amount of synths, beats and loops. Remnants of libretto barely flit around the beats before tapering away. Perhaps his next attempt will find the balance of lyrics and sonics he was hoping Hey You, Yes You would accomplish.