Ten Best SPECIAL EDITION: Jars of Clay

OK. This was really hard.

Like I said in my last post proper, I am a big, BIG fan of Jars of Clay. I knew it would be hard to narrow down 10 of their songs that I like the most. I decided that a good strategy would be for me to write down all of the songs that could conceivably make it onto the list.

I wrote down 29 songs. On my first round of cutting, I narrowed it down to 18 songs.

The next round of cutting found 13 songs. And it pained me very much to cut those last three. I mean, it's Jars of Clay. They've made eight studio albums (not counting Furthermore or Christmas Songs), and they've released countless bits and pieces of musical brilliance (see some of the reworked tracks from Stringtown, The White Elephant Sessions, Live Monsters, the Roots and Wings EP, Seatbelt Tuba, etc.). I wanted the list to reflect that, but I most of all wanted it to more or less reflect the 1o Jars songs I like the best.

I'm not really even sure if I made it do that. So many of their songs are musically amazing, and their lyrics are consistently thought provoking and genius as well. So, what's a rabid Jars fan like me to do?

Simple. Cheat.

Yeah, yeah, that's why the "special edition" is tacked up there. I included the extra three songs. They are still ranked as 11-13, but now I can give them a little bit of justice with a small write-up.

OK, here goes. And please, bear in mind: coming up with this list took me a long time.

13. Shipwrecked - Roots and Wings EP

This poignant song about (presumably, anyway) a shipwrecked man with a broken past is one of the most beautifully simple recordings that Jars has produced. It's only Dan's voice, some strings, some guitar picking and some spare piano. But boy, does it tug at the emotions.

12. Light Gives Heat (live) - Live Monsters EP

The "Good Monsters" version of this song is good, but not nearly as good as its live counterpart. This seven-minute track seems to rush by as the band substitutes the children's choir with a melodica and some filled in vocal harmonies. The "think about Africa" ending is brilliant.

11. Fade to Grey - Much Afraid

This is the first song the band ever wrote together, and it's still great. One of the great things about Jars is that they don't feel the need to make every song resolve in a happy, "it's-all-OK-because-of-Jesus" ending, and this song is perhaps the best example of their gift of crafting questioning songs. The insistent vocals and drums make this one.

OK, here's crunch time.

10. Work - Good Monsters

I feel like most "Good Monsters" fans like both "Work" and "Dead Man," but they have to pick a side over which one is better. While "Dead Man" is a good tune, "Work" takes the cake for me. The plaintive and honest lyrics coupled with a driving guitar definitely evoke the desperate feel that Jars was going for.

9. Tea & Sympathy - Much Afraid

Yes, this song is a bit melodramatic, but I still love it, lyrics and all. The expertly arranged strings and guitar perfectly capture the feel of a relationship in which it has become easier to ignore the other person rather than interact and reconcile. This song also thematically recalls Simon and Garfunkel's "The Dangling Conversation," a trait that I noted about their new song, "Scenic Route."

8. Collide - If I Left The Zoo

I consistently forget how good this song is. It's one of Jars' most chaotic and layered songs, particularly in the time before their latest albums. It addresses society's skewed view of true love, and it does so in rockin' fashion. I wished they still played this in concert.

7. Headphones - The Long Fall Back To Earth

Man oh man. This song is beautiful. Katie Herzig's vocals make Dan's normal and falsetto tones sound even better, and the lyrics (about society's easy ignorance of other people's problems) are convicting and well layered within the song's structure.

6. Jealous Kind - Who We Are Instead
This song has possibly the best lyrics Jars has ever written. Not many bands write about God's jealousy, but Jars does it very well, and they do it with the flair of a backing Gospel choir and rootsy guitar and piano.

5. Closer - Closer EP
This is the most electronic that Jars has ever gotten, but it's a great little love song that builds wonderfully. This song is also featured on "The Long Fall..." but I like the opening on "Closer EP" better. The lyrics to this one are very clever, and the production is ridiculously layered.

4. Good Monsters - Good Monsters
The lyrics to this song (dealing with the problem of when good men do nothing) are absolutely great, and the bassy guitars and loud and clear vocals make this song ridiculously catchy. There's some wonderfully clear piano during the bridge, too.

3. Trouble Is - Who We Are Instead
This song deals with problems of identity, but that's all secondary to the gruff, world-weary vocals, energetic bluesy guitar and very slight electronic twinge. Who says white guys don't have soul?

2. Mirrors and Smoke - Good Monsters
This duet with Leigh Nash might not deserve to be up so high, but there's just something about it that gets me every time. The guitars are thick, the vocal tradeoffs of the guttural and pristine are perfectly matched, and the song just makes you want to kick back with some good old southern rock.

1. Goodbye, Goodnight - If I Left The Zoo
I'll admit it. This song has personal significance to me, as it was the first song that I ever heard on a Jars of Clay album. I had heard some singles before, but the first time I put this in the player (I think I was 11 or 12), I was confronted with an accordion, a harpsichord (I think, anyway), weird lyrics about the Titanic, a barbershop quartet and simple but grounded vocals and guitars to hold it all together. This song helped show me what music could be, but the nostalgia doesn't take away from the fact that this song still kicks major butt. It's possibly Jars' most unique offering.

So, there you have it. I got it down to 13. However, these songs are all so good that I'm sure that they will trade positions with each other every now and then.

Fans of Jars of Clay will notice some albums that I left off this list. It doesn't mean that I don't like those albums; on the contrary, I like them all. This is just a pretty competitive list. However, I would like to hear your complaints. I feel like Jars invokes all sorts of different opinions.

Also, "fans" of Jars of Clay will notice that there are no songs from the self-titled on here. Get over it.

Runners up include but are in no way limited to: Sad Clown, Boys, Unforgetful You, Oh My God, Take Me Higher (these five are the five of the 18 that I cut), Disappear (live), Revolution (live), Fly Farther, New Math, Sing, Only Alive, The Valley Song, Crazy Times, Hymn, Five Candles, Famous Last Words, Safe to Land, The Eleventh Hour, Drive (cover), Dig (cover) and Liquid.

And not Flood. Sorry, I had to get that one in.

What are your favorite Jars of Clay songs?

The short fall down from 2006

I am a real fan of Jars of Clay. By real fan I mean that I listen to all of their albums, not just their first one. Actually, their first album, while containing some good songs, is probably their second-worst effort. Don't freak out; it's their first album. It's not supposed to be the best.

However, I am also a fan of Jars of Clay in the sense that I think that they are one of the best bands in all of music today. Lead singer Dan Haseltine is an excellent lyricist, and the band's ability to reinvent their genre on every album while still remaining consistent to "sounding like Jars of Clay" is a feat that has only ever been paralleled by few in the industry. They released two early versions of album songs on "Closer EP" last year, and they were great, so you can imagine my excitement when I heard that Jars was finally releasing their new album, "The Long Fall Back To Earth," on April 21 (I learned of this several months ago, so the excitement was practically fever pitch by last week. Like I said, I'm a real fan).

Before I begin, let me explain my Jars of Clay hierarchy. While I admire the musicianship on all of their albums, I have something of an "elite four" list of Jars albums which I think are a cut above their other work and several cuts above most music in general. My favorite album is their third effort, "If I Left the Zoo," followed closely by the evenly matched seventh and fifth albums, "Good Monsters" and "Who We Are Instead." Their second album, "Much Afraid," rounds out my elite list. I still enjoy all or parts of all of their other albums (although I have not listened to "Christmas Songs" very much), but they aren't quite in the same league.

Anyway, that long explanation is merely there so that I can say that "The Long Fall..." falls a little short of the elite list.

The album starts out with the instrumental "The Long Fall," which is a pleasant enough tune that leads directly into "Weapons," a track questioning why people rush to fight all the time. The first thing that is evident on this album is the increased production values. There are many more layers on all of these songs than there were in any other Jars album so far. The change is probably due to Jars' self-production and going independent with their own record label, Gray Matters. However, while the production values are immediately evident, there is another, unfortunate aspect of the album that also begins to manifest itself on "Weapons."

Repetitive lyrics can work if there's something else interesting going on (or if the recording somehow sounds iconic-"Hey Jude" made itself an instant classic with three minutes of "Na, na, na, na-na-na-naaaa"), but otherwise they fall rather flat. While Jars usually produces stellar lyrics, many songs on "The Long Fall..." are either repetitive or cliche or both, and "Weapons" is one of those songs.

"Lay your weapons down / Lay your weapons down / There are no enemies in front of you." That's the chorus, and they sing it a fair amount. It makes the song a little ho-hum in parts, particularly because the song sometimes doesn't have a lot of different musical elements working together to complement the lyrics.

"Weapons" is followed by "Two Hands," the first single for the album. It is also rather cliched and repetitive, but those two qualities will probably assure good radio play on CCM stations ("If I had two hands / Doing the same thing / Lifted high"). "Heaven" is up next, and, while the music is good (driving guitars and synths), the lyrics swing back and forth between weird and commonplace (it gets really good at the end, however). While none of these songs are "bad," per se, they may prove a little disappointing to fans who know the caliber of songwriting in which Jars usually operates.

Fortunately, "Closer," one of the two best songs on the album, comes in just in time to keep the album interesting. "Closer" is much more electronic than essentially anything else that Jars has ever done, and it served as a kind of introduction to their new sound when the original (slightly better) version was released on last year's "Closer EP." The quirky lyrics speak of how relationships can only work when quality time and attention are put into them, and they are also much more interesting than those of the preceding songs. There's even a Charlie Brown reference!

"Closer" is followed by the also excellent "Safe to Land," a song that finds the singer wondering if he is forgiven. The metaphor of a plane almost out of fuel is used to show the need for other people. The layered production is also put to great use here as it creates an expansive feel.

Coming in at track seven is "Headphones." I cannot say enough positive things about this song. The lyrics condemn the American habit of lapsing into easy apathy by retreating into media. Here, the lyrics of the chorus are repetitive, but they work with other vocal and musical layers to create a hauntingly beautiful sound. The verses are great, Katie Herzig's vocal accompaniment is great, Haseltine's falsetto vocals are great, everything about this song is great. Seriously.

After these three pop masterpieces comes the pedestrian but relatively fun "Don't Stop," followed by "Boys (Lesson One)" a simple but poignant letter to the band members' sons (it's mostly electronic, with a little bit of guitar and what sounds like canned strings [although they probably are real]). Next in line is "Hero," a rather out of place near-rocker that is quite good - except, that is, for the chorus. "We need a hero / To save us from ourselves"? Really? Come on guys, you can do better than that. That complaint aside, I'm unsure as to why this song wasn't the single, as it is upbeat and was featured on a trailer for NBC's "Kings."

Following "Hero" is "Scenic Route," a good folksy song with lyrical themes similar to Simon and Garfunkel's "The Dangling Conversation." My favorite line is when Haseltine sings, "We sit here like novels we picked up but never read through / You think you know my ending / I think I know yours too." The lyrics are complemented by some jangly guitar to create a relaxing but meaningful tune.

Unfortunately, "Scenic Route" is followed by "There Might Be A Light" and "Forgive Me," two instantly forgettable songs that also suffer at times from repetitive or cliched lyrics. The album is closed by the electronic and simple "Heart," a good song and one that is unlike most of Jars' other closers.

Jars' last non-Christmas studio album, "Good Monsters," came out in September of 2006. It was generally regarded as one of their best albums (and rightfully so). Two-and-half years later, they have managed to switch genres once again, going from straight-up rock to electronic 80's sounds. There are quite a few legitimately good songs on this release, and a few great ones, but I can't help but wish that they had done just a bit better.

It probably isn't fair. I hold Jars of Clay to a higher standard than most acts in the music world because I know that they're capable of so much, and it isn't as if anything on this album approaches any level of banality. Even the songs I'm not huge on, I don't hate. However, I've heard better from these gentlemen.

That being said, it's still a pretty good album, probably ranking as my favorite or second favorite Jars album not in "the elite four." It's definitely worth buying, and Jars fans will love hearing "Closer," "Safe to Land," "Headphones," "Boys" and the like. I just wish that there was a bit less filler.

Go. See. This.

Hey everybody. Yesterday, I saw a prescreening of "State of Play." It was amazing. It's one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. My review will be up here late next week or early the next (The Column gets this one first), but seriously. Watch it.

Ten Best: Ben Folds

Since the whole "Blogging the Beatles" thing didn't work out so well, I've decided to introduce another - hopefully easier - semi-regular feature on this blog: Ten Best. In these segments, I will pick an entertainment thing - could be a band, a genre of movie, an actor, whatever - and make a briefish list of the ten best "x's" by that thing. As with all things that are my favorites, you should consider them capricious and perhaps inaccurate. If you read this in a year, take that warning doubly seriously. Today, I present the Ten Best Ben Folds Songs.

Ben Folds is a great musical talent. He (generally) is a good songwriter, his voice fits his music, he's snarky, and, best of all, he plays the piano like nobody's business (he also played all of the instruments on his first solo album, "Rockin' the Suburbs"). This list covers most of his career, from Ben Folds Five to his solo stuff (I have listened to The Bens as well, but I don't like any of the songs enough for them to break into the top ten. However, "Bruised" and "X-Fire" are both really good). I would recommend those who don't like swearing to listen to Folds with extreme caution, as he can break it out like a sailor if he is so inclined. I have included a swearing/no swearing rank by each song so you can listen to only the clean ones if you like.

10. Underground - Ben Folds Five, "Ben Folds Five." Swearing: none

As this list progresses, you'll see that I generally prefer Folds' solo stuff (although "Whatever and Ever Amen" is a fantastic album), but this song from the Five's debut is good tune. With a fuzzy bass fiddling around underneath a combination of piano pounding and softer melodies, this song mocks the underground music scene ("Hand me my nose ring!") while still proclaiming its love for the indie nerds. Folds' voice can be pretty nasal at times, but it's still a fun little tune.

9. The Ascent of Stan - Ben Folds, "Rockin' The Suburbs." Swearing: none

"Suburbs" is my favorite album of Folds', and this song is one of the reasons. I've been told that the piano part for this song about an ex-hippie that rises through the corporate ranks is not very complicated, but it sounds amazing.

8. Kylie From Connecticut - Ben Folds, "Way To Normal." Swearing: none

"Way To Normal" is my second-to-least favorite Folds album (the Five's "The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner" takes the bottom spot), but this song, with a simple yet beautiful arrangement and heart-wrenching story-song lyrics gets me every time.

7. Landed - Ben Folds, "Songs For Silverman." Swearing: none

Gah. The piano gets me every darn time. I assume this song is about a relationship. Whatever it's about, it's just great.

6. B---h Went Nutz - Ben Folds, "Way to Normal (fake)." Swearing: lots and lots

Before "Way to Normal" came out, Folds decided to play a prank on the fans who always leaked his album to the Internet before its release date. His prank was pulled in the form of a fake album leak that included two songs from the real album, an alternate arrangement of another of the "real songs" (which is included further down on the list) and six songs that he recorded off the top of his head - just to mess with his fans. Isn't that cool?

Anyway, the fake album ended up being more enjoyable than the real one, and this song (which should absolutely should not be confused with the bad and even more profane "B---h Went Nuts" on the real album) is a hilarious satire of the traditional bra-burning liberal chick vs. the young Republican lawyer. It also has a killer bassline and a rip-roaring piano track.

5. Fired - Ben Folds, "Rockin' The Suburbs." Swearing: one f-word and one d-word

This jazzy song about people getting fired or something or other is all about the killer piano (and the drums on the chorus). It's pretty hard not to tap your toes for this one.

4. Cologne (DVD Version) - Ben Folds, "Way to Normal (Fake)" Swearing: none

This is an oddly-written song about Folds' latest divorce. The arrangement on the real "Way To Normal" is relatively pedestrian, but this version spices things up with lots of strings, a choir and 10 pianos.

3. One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces - Ben Folds, "Whatever and Ever Amen." Swearing: assorted a-words and s-words

This rock-and-rolling tune has one of the most infectious piano tunes that Folds has ever created. There are a lot of songs from "Whatever..." that could have made it on this list ("Song for the Dumped," "Steven's Last Night in Town," "Kate," "Fair," etc.), but "One Angry Dwarf..." is simply the best.

2. Bastard - Ben Folds, "Songs for Silverman" Swearing: a generous sprinkling

This song about the arrogance of the young begins with some simple piano chords, but by the end of the over-five-minute song, Folds has played all over the board. It also has some of his best lyrics, summed up in his chorus/central question: "Why ya gotta act like you know when you don't know/ It's ok if you don't know everything."

1. Fred Jones pt. 2 - Ben Folds, "Rockin' the Suburbs." Swearing: only if you count "bastard"

It's one of the more sparse and simple entries on this list, but come on guys, I'm a journalist: how can I not appreciate a sad song about an old newspaper man who's forced into retirement? The lyrics are nothing super eloquent, and the piano does its job well. However, the combination of the two is just brilliant.


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Well, that's the list. Other notable songs include (but are no way limited to) "Jackson Cannery," "Steven's Last Night in Town," "Army," "Annie Waits," "Bruised," "Still Fighting It," "Smoke (orchestral version)" and "Gracie."

What are your favorite Ben Folds songs?