By: Lisette Johnson
Rating: 7/11

When Brooklyn indie scene darlings The Meltdowns broke up late last year, plenty of electronica-meets-funk junkies lost a best friend. Resurrected from the grave rises Ben Franklin, half of the Meltdowns (Eduardo and William), and all rebel scientist.

Their guest drummer, Sarah, is hitting the road this spring to play shows down south (if you’re at SXSW, look her up), but the fellows have promised a vanload of new material once she makes it back up north. Since they just formed last October, their show calendar is spotty (though they did outshine fellow jammers at their February Cake Shop gig). As of now, their next show is slated for August in Jersey City, but rumor has it they might be appearing in Toronto and Wilmington between now and then.

Unlike the more uniform Meltdowns tracks, Ben Franklin excels in all genres. Their most played Myspace hit, “Montclair,” keeps the groovy, boppy twang of ironic country without losing the inherent haunted feeling of true bluegrass. Other tracks, like the socially relevant “Credit Default Swap Bop,” relies on their hipster garage punk roots but keeps feet tapping like only two-guys-way-cooler-than-you could. The attitude is only audible in some of their songs though; the heartachy reggae riffs of the opening to “In Your Dreams” cede the naturally gritty solos they do best, without pretension. “Smile” could have appeared on an old Fearless Punk Goes Acoustic release, though the keyed-up harmonies and lyrical maturity could have kept it from making the cut.

While their music is innovative and dancey enough to make them worth a listen, the quality of their recordings is, dare I say, pretty awful. Someone needs to get these guys some bona-fide equipment! With The Meltdowns recording history solidly behind them, it’s sure that fans can anticipate the wonders of technology enhancing Ben Franklin’s listening pleasure in the near future. ‘Til then, keep ears peeled for something between now and August.