This week's artist.I don't have a ton of time today, so I thought I'd keep this entry somewhat simple for myself: I will be sticking to the music of Mr. Ben Folds today, because he is awesome. He is like a straight Elton John, and although this alone doesn't make him better, I do enjoy his music quite a bit more. Putting his songs on shuffle and letting them rip:
- "Emaline (Live)" is probably my favorite "slow" Ben Folds song, especially this version from his live album. The piano is especially tranquil and matches his voice well, and the lyrics are clear and crisp despite their longing nature. This clarity is something I've always liked about Ben's songs. (Yes, him and I are on a first-name basis.) Even if the song's meaning has some ambiguity - it seems to me like a failed past relationship, like a lot of his songs - you can at least hear most of the lyrics and sing along if you wish.
I listened to this song a lot when I was breaking up with someone; relax, it's not any of you reading this. Ben's music in general is pretty swell for that task, actually.
- "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces" is the first track off of Whatever And Ever Amen, and it strikes the perfect note for the rest of the album. It is frantic, energetic and wild, between Ben's lyrics and piano and the rest of the band. It is a nice appetizer for what is to come.
The song always reminds me of driving frantically to and from high school. Back in the day, all of Whatever And Ever Amen was in heavy rotation on a CDR I had, along with a couple songs from the follow-up album, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner.
- "Rockin' The Suburbs" from the album of the same name gets a bit too much flack to me. So what, he's not playing the piano. It's still a great pop / rock / alternative song! I'd much rather listen to "Rockin' The Suburbs" than a lot of what is out on the radio today. It's not traditional Ben Folds, no, but the experimentation is close enough to his previous work that I enjoy it. It is similar situation to me as to when The Beastie Boys actually play instruments as opposed to just rap over a soundtrack.
