Ben Folds Five

By Alex Rainert

Music Editor

ootie and the Blowfish are from the Carolinas and they write simple, painfully catchy songs that leave me somewhat empty. Ben Folds Five come from North Carolina and they write songs that are simple but at the same time address the little idiosychracies that permeate all of our lives. For about two years one couldn't help but be involuntarily immersed in Hootie madness, making some feel that nothing too unique or fresh was coming out of the South- granted, Hootie probably comforted many people that felt that they were alone in needing to hold someone's hand but some of us need a bit more than that.

Ben Folds Five have released two albums in the past 3 years, the same as Hootie and his crew, yet one seldom hears them on the radio. First of all, Ben Folds Five is made up of a drummer, a bassist and a piano player- not a very common ensemble. This combination of instruments provide a welcome break from the guitar-driven style of music that emerged from the post-punk, Seattle-driven music scene. I'm not saying anything to take away from that era, but it was becoming stagnant and it is original sounds that open the gates for new trends in music- so to bands like Bush I must bid farewell. On their most recent album, Whatever and Ever Amen (Epic) Ben Folds Five, led by singer/pianist Ben Folds, create a new, playful, interesting collection of twelve songs. Not only is this one of the most unique bands of the nineties, but also one of the most fun to listen to.

The lyrics are genuine, personal, yet playfully ironic. One gets the feeling that the band members actually wrote about what was they were experiencing- from the trite subject of having a crush on the local flower girl to the painful end to a relationship. They key to the lyrics is their simplicity- they don't pretend to be anything they're not. On "Selfless, Cold and Composed," Ben Folds sings of the breakup of a couple- " Come on baby. Now throw me a right to the chin. Don't just stare like you never cared. I know you did. You just smiled like a bank teller telling me blankly, Have a nice life." The lyrics are straight forward and the sentiments expressed can be very easily related to. Musically, the band has an amazing handle on the function and potency of a strong melody- thus creating unique, catchy, playful, personal music.

The album is mostly made up of playful songs and ballads. The band is able to excel in both genres. The most playful song on the album is "The Battle of Who Could Care Less," where Folds begins by expressing his frustrations with his girlfriend (one supposes) and her tendency of being too passive. Yet in the last verse, Folds sings "Will you never rest. Fighting the battle of who could care less. Unearned happiness. You're my hero I confess." It's lyrics like these that make this album so accessible. The band isn't hiding behind an angst-drenched facade. They are able to let loose and have fun but can stop on a dime and transform the mood of both the music and of the listeners.

Ben Folds Five, if anything, provide a refreshing alternative to much of the garbage that one hears on the radio- they have talent, charisma, a sense of humor and a lot of creativity, some things too many of the bands getting press these days, tend to lack.