Best of 2004, #28: Bruised by The Bens

Being a big Ben Folds fan, I had to check out the EP from The Bens. What a great band name for a trio of dudes named Ben Folds, Ben Lee, and Ben Kweller.

This is a classic Ben Folds-ish "I'm vulnerable to love" sort of song. The hook will really get you, "I went because you said you'd be there, A box of candy, smoke in your hair, well I didn't know, I didn't care, but now I know." I think lots of guys have felt this way at some point, and probably most women, sticking their necks out, putting themselves into a strange or unfamiliar setting to see or impress someone they're attracted to. This song is about when sometimes you stick your neck and it gets chopped off. "Sometimes love just leaves you bruised... and I've... got the scars the prove it." Great lyrics!

The before and after recording banter also gives this song a bit more character. They even start the guitar rift over from the start, something that reminds me of those "out-take" songs on CD re-releases by bands like the Byrds and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and tons of others.