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Re: Huh, weird. (Reply to this comment)
by shilmafone
That's interesting, because it parallels almost to the letter my primary criticism of these EPs--basically that they feel like steps backward in the Ben Folds catalogue. The thing that's made me a diehard Ben fan in the last few years are the jumps in quality songwriting that have taken place from Whatever to Reinhold Messner to Rockin' the Suburbs. Compared to Suburbs, these songs just feel lazy to me...but they also feel like Ben Folds Five (not least for the piano-bass-vocals setup), and that's what so many fans seem to like about them.
But hey--a comment like yours serves mostly to convince me to reevaluate my opinions, and I'll give it another listen. I'm very optimistic, you see, and I like to think that good can be found in nearly everything, even tossed-off Ben Folds EPs. :)
Thanks for the comment,
Mike
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Oct 30 '03
8:34 am PST
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Re: I do (Reply to this comment)
by shilmafone
Really? I provoked a thought? Yay!
You know, you're right--all this aside, there really is nothing worse than an album that took years and years to make that turns out to be totally terrible. Ah well.
Glad you've actually heard this one, I may have more for you soon...
--Mike
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Oct 30 '03
7:50 am PST
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I do (Reply to this comment)
by katmar
know Ben Folds! I don't know the others, however, and can't believe how many "CDs" they've released. To me, that's overkill, then again, they're not artists I know. If Beth Hart was doing this, I'd be elated. Or some of my other faves.
As for whether the constant releases are a good thing or a bad thing, I don't know. If the EPs are good, I think it's fine, but not for the price they're asking. If they just seem like filler, I think it's all about money.
I agree with you when you say that an artist who only puts out records every few years (or longer) tends to put their life force into it. Whether the results are good or bad, well, that's a different story.
Anyway, thought-provoking stuff, Mike, and thanks for the info on this EP.
Marsha
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Oct 13 '03
2:48 pm PDT
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Re: Eh. (Reply to this comment)
by shilmafone
Well, that's exactly it. Getting fifteen songs in six months (and only having to pay the FOUR DOLLAR shipping charge once) would be far preferable to this EP hoo-haa. Perhaps more disturbing is the conscious decision to make most of these new songs piano-bass-drums-vocals, i.e. the Ben Folds Five formula. Give me The Suburbs any day.
--Mike
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Oct 13 '03
5:45 am PDT
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Re: I'm with you... (Reply to this comment)
by shilmafone
Y'know, I'd read that about "Rock Star" on the message boards, but I couldn't find enough in the lyrics to back it up. So I ignored it. I forgot that Ben put up some descriptions of the songs on the dotcom. Oh well.
As for the EP thing being a marketing move, I don't know if I can totally agree--I don't know what kind of gauge they're planning to get on it by releasing an independent EP that you can either only order a hardcopy over the internet or download from ITunes. A lot of people who download it might not be all that big of fans, and would just get one or two songs (like, say, the covers). A lot of people who would buy an album in stores might not be savvy enough (or care enough) to get it over the internet. Though, I'm no businessman, so maybe I should stop talking about things I don't understand! :)
In any case, it's an interesting theory. I'd be interested in seeing just how many of these EPs got sold by the end of their release.
Thanks for stoppin' by!
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Oct 13 '03
5:42 am PDT
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Re: Thanks (Reply to this comment)
by shilmafone
Might be a good move. The more I listen to the two EPs, the more I like Speed Graphic, and the less I like Sunny 16.
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Oct 13 '03
5:37 am PDT
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Eh. (Reply to this comment)
by voxpoptart
Haven't heard this album, probably don't want to. I like the full-length form; i even liked the burst of 65-minute albums that followed the popular switch to CD, and i'm already annoyed at the backlash of 28-minute bestsellers from bands like Weezer. It's one thing if you're a new artist and you've scrambled for years just to get the chance to record five songs, and don't know when you'll be allowed to make five more of releaseable quality. But if it takes you two months to make a third of an album, is it _really_ so bad to wait six months, make an album, and then rewrite or polish anything that needs rewriting or polishing?
In other words, you give good rant. As usual. And i do hope Ben puts more effort into the full-length, cuz Rockin' the Suburbs was amazing.
fixing all his shiitty tracks,
- Brian
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Oct 13 '03
2:30 am PDT
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I'm with you... (Reply to this comment)
by Joubert
...on the majority of your review, but I honestly think Folds was writing more Lyrics To Be Listened To rather than focusing on the music.
I honestly think that the three EP gambit is an attempt to accurately size the market to learn how much effort Sony wants to put behind next year's release. Live was a terrific album -- I was at some of the shows -- but after the faithful purchased their copies, it died on the charts.
If they determine Folds is going to sell 350,000 or 750,000 copies of a major release to his fan base, I think you will either see him continue this trend or hit a smaller label when his deal is up.
Of course, I could be full of it. Excellent review. And honestly, I didn't read yours before I wrote mine. ;-)
Best,
George
P.S. The word from Folds was that he wrote Rock Star about a waiter. You nailed the character sketch motif though.
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Oct 12 '03
8:54 am PDT
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Thanks (Reply to this comment)
by redsox75
I ordered Speed Graphic based on your review, so I think I might stay away from this one based on your review.
Drew
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Oct 11 '03
11:49 am PDT
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