The nicest thing about Random Weekends is that they often reveal hidden gems within my music collection — songs I didn’t even know I had.
Take today’s SOTD, a deep cut on Ben Folds’ Best Imitation of Myself retrospective collection — which makes it a deep cut on an album of deep cuts.
I have two main points to make in today’s Random Weekend selection.
The first is that Ben Folds is such a great songwriter that even his B-sides can be powerful and moving.
‘Wandering,’ released on Folds’ Speed Graphic EP, and later in demo version on his Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective (and I believe on a movie soundtrack originally), is a beautiful, sad portrait of a relationship — it could easily stand alongside the best of his album work.
It’s funny how some of the best concert experiences involve artists playing somebody else’s music. Not that I’d want to watch a favorite act perform nothing but covers, but a couple of well-placed interpretations can really make a show.
A highlight of the recent Barenaked Ladies show I attended was a raucous late-show medley of recent chart toppers, including Taylor Swift’s ‘I Knew You Were Trouble,’ Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’ and Macklemore’s ‘Thrift Shop.’ In a much different vein, Tift Merritt performed a lovely Joni Mitchell cover on piano.
#6 – Lonely Avenue – Ben Folds
Ben Folds’ collaboration with novelist Nick Hornby was my favorite album of 2010, and it hasn’t faded a bit in my estimation since.
I love the challenge Folds took on in morphing Hornby’s very literate lyrics into pop songs. As a follow-up to his disappointing solo album Way To Normal, this record was a refreshing return to form.
The middle act of last week’s concert was the reason my family and I attended in the first place — Ben Folds Five.
I’d seen the group twice before, touring for their second and third albums, and I’d seen Folds perform solo once. I also have many recordings of the band playing live, from a DVD of their excellent Sessions at West 54th performance to both released and bootleg audio files.
So while I’m not exactly the BFF equivalent of a Deadhead, I am pretty familiar with the band’s live show.
