Two Videos

Mostly a reference post, since I want to keep links to two videos I found today. The post is light on content, but I'm sure you'll get over it.

First, I stumbled across a Ben Folds song the other day while listening to Sirius. I'm not a huge Ben Folds fan, as my exposure has been mostly limited to the Break-up Song, which is the name (or close to it) of the one with the classic line: Give me my money back, you bitch.

But this was way beyond an amusing combination of funny and clever, this approached art. Fred Jones Part 2 serves as a stark reminder that the tiresome musical landscape dominated by Nickelbacks and Coldplays is not entirely devoid of talent. Take a listen:
Structurally, it's very similar to Liz Phair's Canary, another favorite of mine. Piano is the only instrument, accompanied by a single (sometimes double) voice line. As a result, the music is clean and focused, powerful yet hauntingly empty. The lyrics are similar, contrasting brilliant imagery with brutal simplicity. This song almost moves me...it's that good.

On the other end of the musical spectrum entirely is this rap song from the original Gears of War credits screen (sadly no attempt was made to duplicate or follow this creation in the second game.) I finally found a video where someone put some decent Gears action to the music. There's not even a hint of genius here, but it is a lot of fun, and the Cole Train makes me laugh. Enjoy.

Cole Train Song-Gears of War