One of the most important bands of my youth was Ben Folds Five.  From the first time I heard “Brick” to their unfortunate split in 2000, they were a band that had me.  That fuzzy bass, those sweet piano licks, the smart assed lyrics - it was one of the first acts that really spoke to me as a person.  And yes, I followed (and have greatly enjoyed) Ben’s solo career, but it just wasn’t the same without Robert Sledge and Darren Jessee backing him.

I’ve always said that my dream show was to see an in their prime Ben Folds Five in a venue the size of Baltimore’s Ottobar, but I figured the window to see Ben Folds Five live again was officially closed.

Then last year, the band got together to put together some new songs for Ben’s greatest hits compilation, The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective. They were pretty damn good, “House” in particular. And then the rumors started that the Five were going to put a new album together.

And sure enough, they have.

The new album, still untitled, is due to hit in August 2012, but in a really cool twist, they’ve decided to let the fans help them release it. This video explains it all.

Working with their clearly excited fanbase through PledgeMusic.com, a sort of Kickstarter for musical acts, the band lets you not just pre-order the album early ($10 gets you a digital download, but additional donations get you other goodies like a physical CD, t-shirt or vinyl), but they are enlisting you to help promote, support and finalize the album.

For me, the decision to donate was a no-brainer.  It’s been 13 years since the last Ben Folds Five album, and now I can say that thanks to my little donation, a new one will be released.

You can join the effort today - they’ve already hit their fundraising goal, but now that they have, the focus is on using the project toward “raising awareness to promote Music Education and the field of Music Therapy.“  So you have a kick ass album, and you support a kick ass cause.

Before you go donate at the source link below, you should at least check out the brand new song, “Do It Anyway”. LOVE THAT FUZZ BASS!

Source: PledgeMusic