DISCOVERIES: Ben Folds' "Selfless, Cold & Composed" (A Capella)

I'm not terribly familiar with Ben Folds' work, though I have enjoyed a couple of tracks that his group, Ben Folds Five, has contributed to compilation albums over the years. Yesterday, Folds released a striking approach to his past work with BEN FOLDS PRESENTS: UNIVERSITY A CAPELLA! It's exactly what you would expect from the title: a bunch of university a capella choirs performing his music. While I haven't finished listening to the entire thing, there is already one performance that has literally rocked my world--The Sacramento State Jazz Singers performing "Selfless, Cold, and Composed." It's a brilliant choral performance, and happily you can catch it on YouTube here:



Perhaps it's not for everyone--I'm admittedly a huge fan of choral music and have always been entranced by the power of harmonizing voices writ large--but I can't imagine failing to recognize how kickass this rendition is, between the insistent sung percussion lines and thick, gorgeous unison chords backing really lovely featured vocals. Simply astounding!

APROPOS OF NOTHING: Kittens Inspired By Kittens

No, it's not a song, but it should be with lyrics like these:

We are wine bottles
I'm at work!
Rain storm! Magic!
I want pie! I want beef jerky!
I am a secret agent
We are in Hawaii
Double head!
I'm a magician I'm a rabbit
I'm her mom
No she's not
We are eating pepper and chips
Wrestling! Hungry!
Bow wow chicka bow wow chicka bow wow
Yuck I am weird
Cuckoo cuckoo
I have to go potty (move down to his feet)
pssssssssss
I'm bored aren't you? I am too.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Benjy Ferree's "Come Back to the Five and Dime Bobby Dee, Bobby Dee"

I'd be the first to admit that I'm a pop guy, not so much a rock guy. I do love Heart, and a lot of Bowie, and some Hole plus a smattering of other stuff, none of which could remotely be identified as "hard rock". So it is, I suspect, with Benjy Ferree--but I gotta say, I am really liking this album. Think Chris Isaak meets the Futureheads by way of Stray Cats. It's kind of punky, rockabilly with occasional shades of anthemic Queen-style choruses. My ears haven't parsed through much of the lyrics yet (this is first impressions, after all) but I REALLY LIKE IT. Check it out:

BENJY FERREE's MySpace page

DISCOVERIES: Matt Alber's "End of the World"

I know this video moves me so deeply because it echoes my own heartfelt dreams, but if I can remove myself from astonishment at the imagery, or the sense that Alber's lyrics speak as if from my own heart...well, I think this is quite simply a gorgeous song: