1999's Breathing Tornados marked a new direction for Lee as he introduced synths and increased instrumentation into his sound. The album was a huge success, with the first single, "Cigarettes Will Kill You", finishing second in that year's Triple J Hottest 100. Lee also enjoyed success with the single "Something Borrowed, Something Blue" - from the album hey you. yes you. - reaching no 22 in 2002's Triple J Hottest 100.
In 2001 he joined forces with Evan Dando, Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick and Jason Schwartzman of Phantom Planet and acting fame. Calling themselves Dando Lee Petersson Schwartzman, they recorded a single, "Dead or Anything", at Globe Studios, New York.
During 2003 he teamed up with Ben Kweller and Ben Folds for a side project entitled The Bens. They recorded four songs together in Nashville, resulting in a self-titled EP.
In late 2004, he left Steve Pavlovic's Modular Recordings and started up his own record label, Ten Fingers. The first release on the label was the single, "Gamble Everything For Love", followed by the album, Awake Is The New Sleep in February 2005. A defining release in his career, the album showcased a much brighter, positive side of Lee's personality, in contrast to his previous darker musings. Awake Is The New Sleep received several nominations for the 2005 Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) awards, and Lee won Best Male Artist, Best Independent Release, and Single Of The Year for "Catch My Disease". Catch My Disease was also number 2 on the 2005 Triple J Hottest 100.
In September 2007, Lee released his sixth solo album, named "Ripe" after the final song on the record. The album is somewhat controversial, with most songs relating in some way to sex, lust and love. Mandy Moore features on the album in the song "Birds and Bees", and Benji Madden plays electric guitar in "Sex Without Love". It also features Sara Watkins, Rachael Yamagata, Charlotte Martin, Ned Bower, Taylor Locke and Robert Schwatzman (who is also credited for co-writing 'Sex Without Love'). It was a big step away from the spiritual "Awake is the New Sleep", but shows Lee's need for change in songs. The album was produced by John Alagia and released under the Inertia/Ten Fingers label 'Awake is the New Sleep' was released under.
February 2009 brought the release of his latest LP entitled "The Rebirth of Venus." This release also includes a bonus disk that includes six cover songs that Ben has done including "Kids" by MGMT and "New Wave" by Against Me!.
New Wave
Ben Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We can control the context of presentation
Is there anybody on the receiving end?
Reaching out for some kind of connection
Come on and wash these shores away
Come on and wash these shores away
I am looking for the crest
We can be the bands we want to hear
We can define our own generation
Is there anybody on the receiving end?
Are you ready to brave new directions?
Come on and wash these shores away
Come on and wash these shores away
I am looking for the crest
I am looking for the crest of a new wave
Let breathe new dawn, this art is dead
No signs of original thought in the mainstream
Is there anybody on the receiving end?
We can eclipse all that came before us
Come on and wash these shores away
Come on and wash these shores away
I am looking for the crest
I am looking for the crest of a new wave
The lyrics of Ben Lee's song "New Wave" carry a clear message of empowerment and determination to shape one's own destiny, to reject the status quo and create a new wave of art and culture. Lee highlights the potential for influence we all have now that we can "control the medium" and "the context of presentation". Yet, he also questions whether anyone is on the "receiving end" of the message, searching for a meaningful connection. This suggests that while we may have the tools to create, we still need a receptive audience in order to make a true impact.
The chorus repeatedly calls for the washing away of the shores, and this can be interpreted in different ways. It could suggest a desire to literally start anew by erasing outdated cultural practices or artistic conventions. Alternatively, it could symbolize a need to cleanse ourselves of our biases and preconceptions in order to fully embrace a new way of thinking. Finding the crest of this "new wave" is presented as a goal to strive for, an ideal we should aspire to reach.
Overall, "New Wave" is a call to action, asking us to take control of our own creative output, reject the old ways of thinking, and together create something truly new and meaningful.
Line by Line Meaning
We can control the medium
We have the power to manipulate the way our art is presented
We can control the context of presentation
Our art is not limited by the conventions of the past; we have the freedom to create something new
Is there anybody on the receiving end?
Are people actually listening and engaging with our art?
Reaching out for some kind of connection
Our art is a way for us to connect with others and express our feelings and ideas
Come on and wash these shores away
Let's get rid of the old ways of making and experiencing art
I am looking for the crest
I want to be at the forefront of a new movement in art
We can be the bands we want to hear
We don't have to rely on other artists to create the music we want to listen to
We can define our own generation
We can create a new cultural movement that is unique to our time
Are you ready to brave new directions?
Are you willing to take risks and push boundaries in your art?
Let breathe new dawn, this art is dead
Let's create a new era of art that is fresh and exciting, rather than relying on tired, old ideas
No signs of original thought in the mainstream
The current popular art is uninspired and lacks creativity
We can eclipse all that came before us
We have the potential to surpass the art of previous generations and create something entirely new
Contributed by Ellie A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.