I apologize that I haven't had the time to listen to as much music as I'd like and do a write-up on it, and I apologize that this post is so late. I've just started a new position and am working crazy busy hours. That being said, here's my pick of the month.
Pick of the Month: BEN FOLDS FIVE: The Sound of the Life of the Mind (E)
This might come as an extreme shock to many of you, but I actually struggled mightily with this pick. The reason being is that Ben Folds Five was almost sacred for me. They were kind of my band version of the '90s Chicago Bulls teams. When they were together everything they did was awesome, but it came to an end and nothing any of them did afterwards could even come close to touching what they did when they were together. This isn't to say Ben Folds didn't have any success, but let's face it, nothing he did in his solo career sniffs the magic that was the Ben Folds Five albums (pre Ben's solo career).
All that being said I had extremely mixed reactions to the announcement of Ben Folds Five getting back together. I had a perception in my mind of what Ben Folds Five was and I didn't want that tarnished, but really, who would want to watch Michael Jordan right now in the NBA, he's probably still ok, but not what we all came to know. That being said, it's still Ben Folds Five and this isn't basketball. I was filled with hope that the main thing missing from Ben Folds solo career were Darren Jesse (drums) and Robert Sledge (bass), aka Ben Folds Five.
So, what did I think about the album..... Starting with "Erase Me" you have to get immediately excited because the first sounds are Sledge's iconic distorted bass carried over from the grunge era of the early '90s. It's easy to hear the difference between Ben's solo work and Ben Folds Five and I will say that Ben Folds Five is better than Ben Folds.
Before I get to far ahead of myself I must say that it's not all good. There's actually quite a bit that bugs me. First, I don't know when it happened, but when did Ben start using so much falsetto? It's not falsetto in general, but his own falsetto that actually tends to urk me, I'm not sure why though. A couple of tracks it becomes a little much, see "Michael Praytor, Five Years Later" and "Hold That Thought". I actually really enjoy Robert's and Darren's falsetto's as a compliment to Ben's and it's obvious when it's their voices as compared to his own voice in the background. As a group they have a magical blend that can't be reproduced by Ben himself.
The other thing that didn't take me as long to figure out is that it comes out as over produced. Everything is nice and crisp and manipulated. Which makes sense and gets you a nice pure sound and everything, but the other Ben Folds Five albums didn't have this kind of money and technology behind them. Now, to be fair, I am making some assumptions here, but it still comes through in the sound. To contrast, if you listen to the song "Steven's Last Night in Town" off of Whatever and Whatever Amen you'll hear a phone ringing in the background during a break towards the end of the song. The reason is because they were recording the album in a house in North Carolina, not a studio in Nashville. When the production quality went up the music lost some character.
Lastly, the songs just aren't what they used to be. As is the norm when people return to making music after years off (the way Ben Folds Five has), the sound of the group just sounds more mature, and there's nothing wrong with that, but part of the appeal of Ben Folds Five was the fun/immaturity of the music. It was careless, raw, and fun. The group had much more of an aura of joy that came out through the music. Some of the songs on this album hint towards this: "Erase Me", "Draw a Crowd", and "Do it Anyway", but as a whole the album is missing this.
The reason it's my pick of the month is admittedly partly because of a since of obligation, but also because it's the one I've been coming back to the most. It might seem like I've been pretty harsh on the album/group, but it's relative to their previous work. I still think this album is better than most of what you hear on the radio, not all of it but much of it. So if you get the chance check it out.
*Disclaimer: This album does contain adult content, not too much though, most notably on "Draw a Crowd"
I hope you enjoy the music. Let me know what you think.
Pick of the Month: BEN FOLDS FIVE: The Sound of the Life of the Mind (E)
This might come as an extreme shock to many of you, but I actually struggled mightily with this pick. The reason being is that Ben Folds Five was almost sacred for me. They were kind of my band version of the '90s Chicago Bulls teams. When they were together everything they did was awesome, but it came to an end and nothing any of them did afterwards could even come close to touching what they did when they were together. This isn't to say Ben Folds didn't have any success, but let's face it, nothing he did in his solo career sniffs the magic that was the Ben Folds Five albums (pre Ben's solo career).
All that being said I had extremely mixed reactions to the announcement of Ben Folds Five getting back together. I had a perception in my mind of what Ben Folds Five was and I didn't want that tarnished, but really, who would want to watch Michael Jordan right now in the NBA, he's probably still ok, but not what we all came to know. That being said, it's still Ben Folds Five and this isn't basketball. I was filled with hope that the main thing missing from Ben Folds solo career were Darren Jesse (drums) and Robert Sledge (bass), aka Ben Folds Five.
So, what did I think about the album..... Starting with "Erase Me" you have to get immediately excited because the first sounds are Sledge's iconic distorted bass carried over from the grunge era of the early '90s. It's easy to hear the difference between Ben's solo work and Ben Folds Five and I will say that Ben Folds Five is better than Ben Folds.
Before I get to far ahead of myself I must say that it's not all good. There's actually quite a bit that bugs me. First, I don't know when it happened, but when did Ben start using so much falsetto? It's not falsetto in general, but his own falsetto that actually tends to urk me, I'm not sure why though. A couple of tracks it becomes a little much, see "Michael Praytor, Five Years Later" and "Hold That Thought". I actually really enjoy Robert's and Darren's falsetto's as a compliment to Ben's and it's obvious when it's their voices as compared to his own voice in the background. As a group they have a magical blend that can't be reproduced by Ben himself.
The other thing that didn't take me as long to figure out is that it comes out as over produced. Everything is nice and crisp and manipulated. Which makes sense and gets you a nice pure sound and everything, but the other Ben Folds Five albums didn't have this kind of money and technology behind them. Now, to be fair, I am making some assumptions here, but it still comes through in the sound. To contrast, if you listen to the song "Steven's Last Night in Town" off of Whatever and Whatever Amen you'll hear a phone ringing in the background during a break towards the end of the song. The reason is because they were recording the album in a house in North Carolina, not a studio in Nashville. When the production quality went up the music lost some character.
Lastly, the songs just aren't what they used to be. As is the norm when people return to making music after years off (the way Ben Folds Five has), the sound of the group just sounds more mature, and there's nothing wrong with that, but part of the appeal of Ben Folds Five was the fun/immaturity of the music. It was careless, raw, and fun. The group had much more of an aura of joy that came out through the music. Some of the songs on this album hint towards this: "Erase Me", "Draw a Crowd", and "Do it Anyway", but as a whole the album is missing this.
The reason it's my pick of the month is admittedly partly because of a since of obligation, but also because it's the one I've been coming back to the most. It might seem like I've been pretty harsh on the album/group, but it's relative to their previous work. I still think this album is better than most of what you hear on the radio, not all of it but much of it. So if you get the chance check it out.
*Disclaimer: This album does contain adult content, not too much though, most notably on "Draw a Crowd"
I hope you enjoy the music. Let me know what you think.
