Tag Archives: Ben Folds Five

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Song of the Day #5,809: ‘Philosophy (Live from Sessions at West 54th)’ – Ben Folds Five

Concluding a countdown of my favorite albums of 1995…

#1 – Ben Folds Five – Ben Folds Five

This is the third debut album in my top five, making a case for 1995 as a banner year for new talent.

Of all the acts I discovered in the 90s, none blew me away quite like this amusingly named trio out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Singer-songwriter Ben Folds on piano, drummer Darren Jesse, and bassist Robert Sledge quickly cemented their status as one of my favorite bands, largely on the strength of this wonderful album.

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Song of the Day #4,576: ‘Fox in the Snow (Live)’ – Belle and Sebastian

Continuing the chronological presentation of my 25 favorite songs…

‘Fox in the Snow‘ – Belle and Sebastian (1996)

Belle and Sebastian’s ‘Fox in the Snow’ has shown up every time I’ve done some sort of “desert island discs” feature on this blog, and I wasn’t about to exclude it now that I’m coming up with my definitive list of favorite songs.

As with several songs on this list, ‘Fox in the Snow’ is my favorite song on my favorite album by one of my favorite bands. That status doesn’t apply to about two thirds of this list, but when it does the song in question is usually a key reason that artist became a favorite.

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Song of the Day #4,215: ‘Hold That Thought’ – Ben Folds Five

‘Hold That Thought’ is a standout track from Ben Folds Five’s reunion album, 2012’s The Sound of the Life of the Mind.

This track’s vibe sounds a lot like some of Folds’ solo work, such as ‘Jesusland’ from 2005’s Songs From Silverman. But Darren Jesse’s drumming and especially Robert Sledge’s bass work add something that Folds has never been quite able to capture the same way on his own.

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Song of the Day #3,782: ‘Steven’s Last Night in Town’ – Ben Folds Five

Funny coincidence as today’s random iTunes selection is a song my family was jamming to during a drive to the mall just hours earlier.

‘Steven’s Last Night in Town’ is a standout song on an album full of standout songs, Ben Folds Five’s sophomore release Whatever and Ever Amen. It’s about record producer Stephen Short, a friend of Ben Folds who came to visit and never left. As Folds recalls, “we must have thrown five or six going-away parties for him.”

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Song of the Day #3,387: ‘Army’ – Ben Folds Five

I had a harder time than I expected making a pick for Day 24 of the 30 Day Music Challenge, which asks for ‘A Song By a Band/Group You Wish Were Still Together.’

For one thing, most of my favorite artists turn out to be soloists. And the bands are either still together or past the point of getting back together. I don’t see The Beatles, for example, as eligible for this category because two of them are dead. I don’t think my wishing they were back together extends to wishing people back to life.

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