Our look at the closing lines of the week’s biggest new-music reviews continues with a roundup of reactions to Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella! In keeping with the spirit–not to mention the target demographic–of the album, we scoured the nation’s college newspapers for their take. (We only found two reviews, which I’m sure is because of both deadline issues and apathy toward the record-review form, and not because of longstanding anti-a cappella prejudice on the part of some people):
• ”Yet as any Dartmouth student will tell you after enduring the 10-day a cappella fest otherwise known as First-Year Orientation, one can only listen to so much music sans instruments.” [Rebecca Wall, The Dartmouth]
• ”US News & World Report might say University A Cappella is just below Ivy League.” [Alexandra Duszak, UD Review (University of Delaware)]
Or maybe it’s because no one’s cared about Ben Folds in about a decade, least of all people who were 10 years old when he had his last “hit”
ben folds came to my college twice in four years, as did jurassic 5 and the roots. the same people who liked ben folds were actually in acapella groups, exalted the beatles and LOVED phish. literally my classmates in college were the reason i refused to listen to the beatles for five years. i hated their music choices that much that i didn’t even want to associate myself with the beatles.
in sum, fuck acapella.
note that i didn’t go to college for five years. there was a “hate hangover” that lasted a year post-college until i could clear the air of the pompous insufferableness that was “east coast private school rock.”
The thing that you have to understand about collegiate a cappella (I know, because I did it… I’m sorry), is that the folks who do it basically think everyone loves it as much as they do and honestly care about insane arrangements and how many notes you have to blow on a pitchpipe before you start singing.
The thing you have to understand about Ben Folds fans (I know, because I was one… I’m sorry), is that they basically think that his schtick will never get old and that The Luckiest is basically the greatest love song anyone will ever write, ever.
If you combine The Luckiest and beatboxing, you’ve just created the most powerful weapon known to man.
I think I’m going to go flagellate myself now.
@drunkwithpower: actually i found a TON of college paper writeups of other ben folds ventures — not to mention pieces on a cappella groups who had covered songs of his. he has really found his sweet spot.
Nothing can compete with that a capella Fugazi.
I’m surprised there’s nothing in UNC’s paper, the Daily Tarheel. We have both a strong love for Ben Folds (he’s performed twice, once in a Ben Folds Five reunion, in the past two years) and for a capella (Anoop Desai, anyone?).
That said, the Lorelei version of Jesusland sounds horrible from the iTunes snippet. Perhaps they just didn’t want to embarrass their friends.
Sadly, I’ll bet Ben Folds is now loaded thanks to his “college crowd” niche….even if he doesn’t play for adults any longer. Ugh.
talk about a sub-culture, though we wish him luck (and will see him on tour)
http://tinyurl.com/d5g5js