The Bens: The Bens (EP)

It's a shame the Bens only put out a 4-track EP because this is a great super group. Ben Lee, Ben Kweller, and Shatner-producer extraordinaire, Ben Folds merge to form Voltron... errr... The Bens.

On a marketing point alone, this is great. Put together people with the same name and call the group that name (See: The Donnas). What's better is that each of these guys brings real talent to the collective. The end result is this beautiful piece of work.

Just Pretend is a sweet sounding ballad that, in my mind, harkens back to the days of radio where a few guys would huddle around a an old-timey microphone and sing. If you've seen Barenaked Ladies in the last few years, picture their acoustic interlude set.

Xfire (or Crossfire) has this weird, yet fun 80s synth pop rock sound that makes me want to pull out the day-glo.

Stop! plays with contrasting between chorus and verse, with the verses being very monotone sounding, almost flat, and then the group just kicks it up and rocks out on the chorus. It just think it helps to illustrate the fun these guys had.

Bruised Feels like a Ben Folds tune more than anything else, maybe because it features his vocals prominently. But it's a beautiful tune which states the obvious fact of "Love just leaves you bruised."

In the End: I'd love to hear more from these guys. They are oozing with talent, and it should be cultivated into something more than a measley 4-track EP. If it's all we get, GET IT. If you've ever liked any of these guys, this is must have. Otherwise, just listen and learn how a super group should be.

On the Web: Download a live track of the Bens covering the Divinyls tune, "Touch Myself" off of Mocking Music.

Technorati Tagged: The Bens | Super Groups