I was cruising the music review websites that were previously part of our linky love list when I found a post about Ben Sollee on Aurgasm. Normally, I peruse all the posts while downloading every mp3 hosted. I don’t have any restrictions and download everything I see, even Fluxblog’s infrequent over-produced rap superstar links, because I figure that I can always delete the stuff I don’t like but always find something new to pique my interest. Contrary to the trend of everyone I know, I still buy albums in the physical format, but almost all of these purchases are influenced by mp3s like the two I downloaded from that post about Ben Sollee.
Though the entire album wanders between bluegrass, folk and jazz, his deep Southern influence is unmistakable.
Given my current musical proclivities, this sentence is like High Fructose Corn Syrup on the cake. If I weren’t stuck in a miniature version of the national recession, I would be marching out to buy this album down at my local. The two songs are further reason for me.
Cello Pop?
How can that not grab you and make you say, “wait, did that guy really just bring a cello on stage?” Let me tell you that a cello blends marvelously with an acoustic guitar. The cello brings a deeper resonance* that grounds the normally airy and light acoustic guitar. I have heard an impromptu song at Iota on a First Monday that consisted of a cello and a guitar and was surprised by both how mesmerizing the sound was and also by how frigging quiet the crowd became once the two gents started playing.
*Look at the big words on that guy. Is that even an appropriate word? Writing about music makes me feel awkward.
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:05 am
I’m actually just kind of surprised that no one ever posted on this. Ah well.
I was always a fan of that cello group that did Metallica covers. I wonder whatever happened to them?
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:51 am
They gave up when Saint Anger came out.