On My Way To Work 2

Here it is again, some songs you should check out.

• Sufjan Stevens - Casmir Pulaski Day
• Beck - Girl
• Yusuf (a.k.a. Cat Stevens) - City After Dark
• Mason Jennings - Gentlest Hammer
• Arcade Fire - Keep The Car Running
• Yo La Tengo - Stockholm Syndrome
• Sean Lennon - Headlights

Ben Folds (Five)

Today's spotlight article is about two artists rolled into one. Ben Folds Five is a trio (yes, there were only three members) formed in 1994 in North Carolina. The band had an amicable break up in 2000, and Ben Folds has had a very successful solo career since then.

Ben Folds Five had a very piano-and-drums driven sound, and although Ben Folds uses both instruments heavily as a solo artist, he also experiments with more instrumentation.

Ben Folds Five consisted of lead singer Ben Folds, bassist Robert Sledge and drummer Darren Jessee. They released their first self-titled album in 1995 and it was moderately successful. Their biggest hit, "Brick," came on their second album, Whatever and Ever Amen. The band released a total of four albums, and each member has continued their careers in music.

Ben Folds has since released multiple albums, most notably Rockin' the Suburbs, Songs for Silverman and Ben Folds Live. On these albums he continues to use ironic/comedic lyrics as well as catchy piano ballads to capture the listener's attention.

Ben Folds has said that he will release his next album in October, and I'm looking forward to it.

Recommended Tracks

• Rockin' The Suburbs
• Still Fighting It
• Landed
• Annie Waits
• Zak and Sara
• Brick
• Army
• One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces
• Fair
• Underground
• The Luckiest
• Bruised
• Jesusland
• Late
• Gone

On My Way To Work...

So here I am today at the Big Fish, trying to figure out a way to share my favorite songs with you. The Spotlight is going well, but there's times that I just want to burst out of the one artist bubble. This is how I'll do it, by posting the songs I listened to on my way to work. It's simple but effective. Check them out, listen to them, enjoy. Simple.

• Cary Brothers - Ride
• Slightly Stoopid - Somebody
• Ben Folds - Still Fighting It
• Death Cab For Cutie - Photobooth
• The Decemberists - Sons & Daughters
• Rocky Votolato - White Daisy Passing

The Shins

The Shins started as a side project of lead singer James Mercer, who at the time was focusing on his band Flake Music. They released their first album Oh, Inverted World in 2001, and have been at the forefront of the indie music scene since then.

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After some lineup switches and the loss of some members, the Shins began touring with Modest Mouse. During this tour, a representative from Sub Pop Records saw the band, asked them to record a single, and eventually signed them. Thanks to an intense touring schedule, Oh, Inverted World was set in history as one of the indie music's most influential albums.

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The band began recording new material Mercer's basement in the summer of 2003 in an effort to retain the same "home-recorded-with-a-studio-finish" feel of their previous album. Chutes Too Narrow was released that fall. The band again had a rigorous touring schedule all over the world, and the album became another success.

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The band's latest release Wincing The Night Away was released early this year, and debuted at #2 on the Billboard charts. The album sold over 800,000 copies and since the band's inception they have sold more than two million albums worldwide. Not bad for an indie band.

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Recommended Tracks

• New Slang
• Phantom Limb
• Caring is Creepy
• Australia
• Kissing the Lipless
• We Will Become Silhouettes (Postal Service Cover)
• Saint Simon
• So Says I
• Young Pilgrams
• Mine's Not a High Horse
• Girl Sailor