Album: Whatever and Ever Amen
Artist: Ben Folds Five
Year Released: 1997
I really got into this album...
Summer 2007
Favorite songs include...
“Steven's Last Night In Town“
“Brick”
“Kate”
Why it’s so good...
In 1997, I was branching out trying to find the music that would define me.
And for anyone who was in that phase of life during 1997, they know how rough it was sometimes. I mean yeah, there were some decent guilty pleasures out there (I seriously considered Third Eye Blind's self-titled for this list) but few solid acts to be inspired by. Just too much post-grunge, pop punk mixed with the pop music that would lead to boy bands.
And then there was Ben Folds Five.
In a discussion on great trio bands, this one must be mentioned. Their first album is pretty great but this is the one where you really get a feel for the group. They're 3 incredibly talented musicians who play music while not taking themselves too seriously. Rocking (yet classy) piano, drums that range from rock to jazz in style, and a heavy distorted bass to really push things out there.
But what makes this album really great, especially when comparing it to the band's other music, is the quality of songs here. You have classic and catchy BFF but mixed in their is some really gorgeous, incredibly intimate music. The lyrics of "Evaporated" still hit me pretty hard when I sing along. Ben just knows how to speak on our behalf.
And don't get me started on "Brick". Some may feel it's overly emo. Nay sir. What a beautifully crafted song about tragedy and regret. There are few artists willing to put themselves out there like that, and even most of those don't do it nearly as well as Ben does.
There's been talk of a reunion of this band lately.
You wanna understand why that's so exciting? Listen to this and you'll understand.
No comments:
Post a Comment