I’m “McLovin” Sha Sha

All of my posts so far have been about new(ish) releases, so I thought it was time to switch things up and write about something a little older. I’ve been wanting to write about this album for a while now, and the time has finally come: Ben Kweller’s Sha Sha, one of my all-time favorite albums. I grew up listening to “Falling,” but it wasn’t until later that the entire record found a place in my heart. That moment came about three years ago, when my mom took me to Lincoln Hall for the 20th anniversary of Sha Sha. The show was sold out, but somehow we ended up on the guest list, had the time of our lives during his set, discovered Ben’s bassist was McLovin in Superbad, and then met Ben afterwards. It was an awesome night.

Sha Sha was Ben’s debut solo album, released when he was only 20. That means he started writing these songs in his teens, which is impressive, especially for a debut. What I love most about the album is how raw it feels. It’s not overly polished or produced; it almost feels like you’re sitting in his room, listening to him play the music right there. That authenticity is where a lot of its beauty comes from. The album perfectly captures the vibe of being young; messy, fun, and emotional. This album sounds like if Weezer and Pavement had a baby, which probably explains why I love it so much.

Now, on to my favorite songs. There are two distinct vibes I feel running through the album. Vibe one: we’re playing music in a garage, jumping up and down, having the time of our lives. Vibe two: we’re lying in bed crying and reflecting on our entire life. The album starts off with the first vibe!  Two of my favorites start the album off: How It Should Be (Sha Sha) and Wasted & Ready.

How It Should Be is fun because it feels like Ben is just rambling, letting all of his thoughts spill out as he goes. The lyrics don’t really make sense. Do I know what he means when he says “Sha Sha”? No, but I think that’s exactly why I love it.

I genuinely cannot choose a favorite song on this album, but Wasted and Ready comes close. “I am wasted, but I’m ready”, remember when I said it encapsulates young adulthood perfectly? On the surface this song is chaotic and fun, but when you really pay attention to the lyrics, it’s surprisingly deep. Musically it mirrors that feeling too: it starts off slow and simple, builds into something loud and chaotic, then calms back down again before ramping back up. I love when songs have that back-and-forth kind of contrast to their sound. 

As I said in my last post, I always gravitate towards the upbeat and happy songs on an album. And the same holds true on Sha Sha, however Family Tree and In Other Words are the two of the slower ones here I would have to choose as my favorites. Family Tree is track number three, and it opens with some good “ba ba ba’s”. I love a song with some ba ba ba’s. This song explores the complexities of family, and how our families define so much of who we are.

In Other Words is definitely catering to vibe number two that I established earlier. This song is deep and vulnerable. Musically, it’s a very gentle song which pairs nicely with the message he’s conveying through his lyrics. It’s all about vulnerability, communication, and having a hard time finding words for feelings. If you haven’t, I encourage you to read the lyrics to this song while you listen, there’s a lot of really well written lines that deserve that kind of attention. 

I couldn’t wrap up this post without talking about Falling. If I had to pick a favorite from the album, it would probably be this one, simply because of how important it is to me. When I was little, Falling was one of the songs that sparked my love for music. I spent  hours in the backseat of my mom’s car listening to Wilco, Vampire Weekend, and Ben Kweller. At the time, it was hard for me to connect with anything that wasn’t One Direction, but Falling has stuck with me. It holds a special place in my heart and has shaped a lot of my musical taste today. Every time I hear it, I feel a wave of nostalgia for my childhood and for those moments that sparked my love for music that I have today.

Ben Kweller is such a talented guy. I focused only on his first album today, and that came out twenty years ago. He hasn’t stopped making music. He has so much good stuff out there, dipping into multiple different genres and sounds. I encourage everyone to dive into his discography if you haven’t already, I promise you’ll find something good.