By Sam Dufton

October 27, 2008

People I know seem to either know exactly who Ben Folds is or they have no idea; nobody has just heard of him or recognises the name. Similarly though very few people profess to love him or his style, it's enjoyable but nobody's favourite. The music he releases has a kind of theatrical piano sound with story-telling lyrics, and in this genre he stands almost alone in popular music. Similarities can be found in Vampire Weekend, Counting Crows and occassionally Death Cab, but his music is as close to this as it is the Bugsy Malone soundtrack. From his first popular foray with Ben Folds Five though, followers have enjoyed finding a style that would see him fit in at Fat Sam's without sounding particularly kitsch: danceable, sing-a-long, fun.