Marco Benevento has a good ear for melody. So good in fact, that even though Between the Needles & Nightfall, the keyboardist’s third solo release, is strictly instrumental, the presence of a vocalist is rarely missed. Which isn’t to say he doesn’t have chops, too, because he certainly does, and they’re convincing enough in songs like “Numbers,” the excellent “Wolf Trap,” and even in the cover of Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good,” that when he chooses to keep things more melodically simple, it’s never doubted to be anything other than a carefully considered musical decision. In “Greenpoint,” for example, Benevento never ventures far from the initial simple chord structure; instead, the circuit-bent noises and the drum and bass work (from Andrew Barr and Reed Mathis, respectively), create the bits of conflict and tension that form in the underbelly of the song and carry it along, making it one of the best tracks on the record.

In fact, it’s the pieces in which Benevento feels too dependent on the melody that are the least successful. “RISD,” for instance, named after the school where it was first conceived, albeit very pretty, is too easy, too predictable in its intent, and the same goes for “Music Is Still Secret,” which, despite its use of the Optigan, a kind of early Mellotron, comes across as a little conventional and uninspiring. Because it’s actually what’s going on around the melody that’s most interesting here, and what Benevento is especially attuned to. He’s not afraid to experiment with technology and noise, and even though there’s nothing processed-sounding about his music, he employs various pedals and effects and progressive techniques in the creation of his songs, and they’re better for it. It’s done so expertly that the simplicity and cleanness of the composition belie how intricately and carefully crafted it actually is, and it’s what sets Between the Needles & Nightfall apart from attempts by less talented artists.

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