I was going to wax philosophic here about the nature of
\nsupergroups, but really, who gives? You know the scene, from the
\nhighs (Crosby Stills & Nash, Traveling Wilburys) to the lows
\n(Bad English, The Firm). The point is, this EP — a four-song
\ncollaboration among singer-songwriters Ben Folds, Ben Lee and Ben
\nKweller — is just about as cool as cool can be.<\/p>\n
The blending of Folds’ witty melodicism with Kweller’s
\nunvarnished whimsy and Lee’s electro-dance-pop makes for inspired
\nfun. The common elements among this trio might be hard to spot at
\nfirst. Sure, Lee hails from Australia and Folds moved there a few
\nyears ago, and Kweller and Lee both bore the boy-genius
\nlabel\/burden, complete with hit records and high expectations in
\ntheir mid-teens. But Folds is quite a bit older than the other two,
\nand the three have substantially different styles.<\/p>\n
The common elements are innocence and vulnerability, emotional
\ntones that come through clearly on the opener “Just Pretend,” with
\nits CSN acoustic guitar-and-rich-harmonies arrangement. Just for a
\nmoment I flashed on The Thorns, that other contemporary
\nsinger-songwriter collective, but then along came “Xfire”
\n(pronounced “crossfire”), a Lee-styled electronic confection full
\nof trippy beats, processed vocals and ridiculous catchy riffs.<\/p>\n
Kweller takes his turn in the driver’s seat with the ragged,
\ngiddy “Stop!” whose chunky guitars and shifting rhythms amplify his
\nnatural exuberance. On both “Stop!” and “Xfire” Folds appears to be
\nhaving a blast orchestrating the controlled chaos from behind the
\ndrum kit, wailing away Keith Moon-style.<\/p>\n
Back behind his piano, Folds takes his moment in the spotlight
\non the closing “Bruised,” a great illustration of how his lyrical
\nsolo work might sound with guitars in the mix. (Answer —
\nexcellent, albeit not as unique.) It’s a typically masterful
\nmelding of melody, acid wit and heartbreak — one of his best, and
\nnot to be missed for any Folds fan.<\/p>\n
Time after time, the “other two” Bens complement the “lead Ben”
\nbeautifully, lending texture and freshness to each of these tracks.
\nYou can feel the trio feeding off one another’s enthusiasm and
\ncreativity; these tracks are bursting with energy and invention,
\nand seem at times to combine the best elements of each of these
\nthree considerable talents. They are, in other words, what a
\nsupergroup is designed to be, i.e. greater than the sum of its
\nparts.<\/p>\n
Given the three Bens’ busy schedules, it seems likely this EP
\nwill turn out to have been a glorious one-off. Rather than dreaming
\nof a second round, my advice is to simply enjoy this special
\nmusical moment, whether or not it ever comes around again.<\/p>\n