Published on Jun 25, 2004
I was going to wax philosophic here about the nature of
supergroups, but really, who gives? You know the scene, from the
highs (Crosby Stills & Nash, Traveling Wilburys) to the lows
(Bad English, The Firm). The point is, this EP — a four-song
collaboration among singer-songwriters Ben Folds, Ben Lee and Ben
Kweller — is just about as cool as cool can be.
The blending of Folds’ witty melodicism with Kweller’s
unvarnished whimsy and Lee’s electro-dance-pop makes for inspired
fun. The common elements among this trio might be hard to spot at
first. Sure, Lee hails from Australia and Folds moved there a few
years ago, and Kweller and Lee both bore the boy-genius
label/burden, complete with hit records and high expectations in
their mid-teens. But Folds is quite a bit older than the other two,
and the three have substantially different styles.
The common elements are innocence and vulnerability, emotional
tones that come through clearly on the opener “Just Pretend,” with
its CSN acoustic guitar-and-rich-harmonies arrangement. Just for a
moment I flashed on The Thorns, that other contemporary
singer-songwriter collective, but then along came “Xfire”
(pronounced “crossfire”), a Lee-styled electronic confection full
of trippy beats, processed vocals and ridiculous catchy riffs.
Kweller takes his turn in the driver’s seat with the ragged,
giddy “Stop!” whose chunky guitars and shifting rhythms amplify his
natural exuberance. On both “Stop!” and “Xfire” Folds appears to be
having a blast orchestrating the controlled chaos from behind the
drum kit, wailing away Keith Moon-style.
Back behind his piano, Folds takes his moment in the spotlight
on the closing “Bruised,” a great illustration of how his lyrical
solo work might sound with guitars in the mix. (Answer —
excellent, albeit not as unique.) It’s a typically masterful
melding of melody, acid wit and heartbreak — one of his best, and
not to be missed for any Folds fan.
Time after time, the “other two” Bens complement the “lead Ben”
beautifully, lending texture and freshness to each of these tracks.
You can feel the trio feeding off one another’s enthusiasm and
creativity; these tracks are bursting with energy and invention,
and seem at times to combine the best elements of each of these
three considerable talents. They are, in other words, what a
supergroup is designed to be, i.e. greater than the sum of its
parts.
Given the three Bens’ busy schedules, it seems likely this EP
will turn out to have been a glorious one-off. Rather than dreaming
of a second round, my advice is to simply enjoy this special
musical moment, whether or not it ever comes around again.
[For more information or to purchase The Bens
, visit
www.attackedbyplastic.com]