“6am… day after Christmas…”

Ah, the Ben Folds Five. The band that introduced millions of 90s kids to the grand piano in rock music. These guys rock.

Ben Folds is kind of like a crass, unromantic version of Billy Joel. He tells stories. But instead of reminiscing about Italian restaurants, or real estate novelists… Folds howls “Give me my money back, you bitch.”

Whereas Joel sings about those sweet, romantic teenage nights in the 60’s when life was good, Folds’ material is more a slice of life from Generation X. In Joel’s world, Brenda and Eddie are still going steady. For Folds, they broke up on prom night.

But the real reason I picked this album for today, the day after Christmas, is because of Brick. This is a haunting ballad, and it’s a song I generally listen to once a year. You guessed it, today. So kick back and fire up a little Folds for your morning commute.

Suitable for: Warming up the car; driving to work early in the morning

Appropriate Playback Device: Car stereo