Experimental Art-Rocker Benben Announces New EP 'Algorithmia'

Brooklyn-based animator, producer, and self-described "gnome rocker" Ben Wigler, who makes music under his art-rock project moniker BenBen, announced his forthcoming EP Algorithmia with the release of its title track and accompanying video. Of the song, Wigler says:

"Do neural networks listen to simulated rock bands? 'Algorithmia' is a weird progressive grunge rock song inspired in part by seeing the massive global success of a band that sounds exactly like Led Zeppelin (but won't admit it)... In the age of algorithmic curation, how do artists navigate the temptation to change what we make to fit neatly into a box the algorithms will accept? Algorithms have dictated what we see and hear for years, and recently, they've learned to produce art content on their own. With algorithms already warping artistic production through the feedback loops of streaming and social media, what will happen to human-generated music when the same algorithmic distribution channels will be also capable of writing the songs?"

The song's angular riffs and soaring vocals sound like Soundgarden and Queen had a musical baby and then fed it, squealing, directly into the gaping maw of the internet. The video was directed by experimental artist Nate Dorr using AI generative art-making techniques.

The video has already been making the rounds of the film festival circuit, premiering in Denver at the Supernova Digital Animation Festival (September 2022), winning "Most Original Music Video" at the Grand Rapids Film Festival (September 2022), and heading to the Boundless Film Festival (October 2022) in London and the HB Film Festival (October 2022) in Glasgow, where it is nominated for Best Music Video.

Wigler helped pioneer 21st-century indie rock with under-the-radar bands Arizona and New Beard, performing live and in the studio with artists like Band of Horses, Samantha Crain, and Indigo Girls. Wigler's last LP was mixed by legendary Dungen frontman Gustav Ejstes. Best known for an unforgettable high tenor voice and infectious melodies, BenBen crafts riff-driven music with a golden heartbeat--living creatures and invitations to adventure in other worlds.

Watch the new music video here: