Round Two of Montauk Madness comes to a close with a painful matchup for me, personally: The Beatles vs. Ben Folds.
The Beatles got here by unanimously toppling poor Shakira, while Folds bested The Smiths with a sizable 86% of the vote. Both of these acts have strong support among my readership. Continue reading
At long last, here we are at the final matchup of Round One of Montauk Madness! Thirty-two battles to determine which 32 artists will advance to fight again.
Both of today’s contenders have shown up already in Round One in other incarnations: The Smiths’ frontman Morrissey showed up as a solo act, while Ben Folds showed up in the form of his band, Ben Folds Five.
I guess the Random iTunes Fairy got a hankering for Ben Folds after yesterday’s post.
Here is an early demo version of the track ‘Boxing,’ which later found a spot as the final track on Ben Folds Five’s brilliant debut album.
This track was included on the 3-disc album The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective, which contains a bunch of goodies every Ben Folds fan should want.
Best Songs of 2015 – #5
‘I’m Not the Man’ – Ben Folds
Ben Folds’ latest solo release, So There, is more of an EP than a proper album. Half of the record’s running time is dedicated to a three-movement concerto for orchestra and piano, not exactly my cup of tea.
The eight proper pop songs are also performed with a chamber orchestra and while the music is lovely, the lyrical content on a few of them leans toward the frat-boy sensibility Folds is sometimes guilty of indulging.
After a dry spell for new music, I’ve recently picked up three very good and very different releases. I’ll feature a song from each this week.
First up is Ben Folds, who last graced us with The Sound of the Life of the Mind, his reunion album with Ben Folds Five. Since then, he has delved into classical composing and his new disc, So There, features his first fully instrumental work.
Meet Me In Montauk 