Round one: Ben Folds vs. R.E.M.

If what they say is true about presentation being everything, then no one is going to want to eat this CD. It looks like Goner paid a fifth-grader to use his home computer to print off the album cover. Maybe the idea was to lower expectations, because the quality of the CD surprised me after removing it from the case. \nDollar Movie is a professional and respectable debut recording. Goner's dominion over the studio is obvious right from the start. Numerous overlays, a mixture of keyboards and pianos, and various guitars define the album. The coolest touch is the use of alternative percussion in the form of coffee cans and bottles. While a coffee can isn't nearly as impressive as a good cowbell, I think a band is set in the industry if it can play one.\nGoner's influences are extremely lucid. It sounds like Ben Folds Five and R.E.M. got into a music room and just duked it out. Ben Folds got in a few influential licks, but R.E.M. certainly won. Despite the uncanny vocal resemblance to Michael Stipe, this band out of Raleigh, N.C., really has an original flare. \nGoner's lyrics do not seem to have anything to do with anything, which serves to make the band unpredictable and interesting. The musicians manage to change styles throughout the CD, so it never gets stale, but upbeat songs like "Dollar Movie" and "Think Fast Run Faster" just aren't enough to afford this album a hit single. \nTo bring balance to the CD, there are melancholy songs like "Battleground," "The Night Lineman Died" and "Velvet Cloak." Goner uses some interesting diminished chords on its sadder songs. The mixture of slow and fast themes are like wines -- they get better with time.\nThe band's Web site, www.gonertheband.com, allows visitors to listen to its music, which I thought was very cool. For fans of R.E.M., this band is a safe bet; for those who are unsure, the Web site is a good way to sample the band's style.