Endlessly Endearing
Kate - Ben Folds Five (Blast from the Past Tuesday)
The past few weeks I’ve been on a crazy Ben Folds Five kick. While I’ve combed through much of the group’s discography, I don’t think anything can beat the very first song I heard from them — none other than the bright and beautiful “Kate”!
It’s got a piano intro that seems to trip over itself, restarting as if to make sure everything is perfect before going on. Everything explodes from there — the bass doubling the piano is a nice touch, and the fuzz on the guitar is such that it really makes the sound feel full. And of course I’m a fan of the cowbell … who wouldn’t be?
Something I really dig about this one is that every element is fully committed to. Need some cowbell? Let’s hit it as hard as we possibly can. How about some harmony? Make it the most glorious three-parter the world has ever heard!! The piano? Punched within an inch of its life. The cymbals? Not a second goes by where they aren’t crashing. The drums are something I especially feel the need to highlight — the snare is stretched more than I’ve ever heard it, meaning there’s a tight pop every time it’s hit. This is really cool, but especially shines in parts where it’s put up against Folds’ silly, crooning vocal style. He’s got a sweet tone that fits well with the song, making everything seem completely genuine. You can literally hear a smile in his voice and the voices of the harmony, something that makes an already appealing song endlessly endearing.
If I were to look at every song ever written for one specific name, I gotta say that I think “Kate” is the sweetest. The girl’s got daisies in her footsteps for god’s sake… dandelions, butterflies… her smiles are a rainbow! This is the perfect track to lead the world into spring, one that makes it hard to deny a smile.
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