THE DISTANT FUTURE. Design by Hafaell Pereria & Blair. Machine washable microfiber, constructed to the highest standards with an easy and convenient zipper. Aug 08, 2007 Flight of the Conchords - The Distant Future (2007 EP) If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, Flight of the Conchords' Sub-Pop EP The Distant Future is.

Led by the pop-minded prowess of their namesake frontman, Ben Folds Five dispelled any misgivings about a band's ability to rock without guitars. Calling themselves 'punk rock for sissies,' the Chapel Hill natives were often grouped with the nerd rock movement of the mid-'90s, although their debt to jazz music -- not to mention Ben Folds' acerbic spin on the classic pianist/songwriter tradition -- ensured the trio a long-lasting legacy after their split in October 2000. The band also provided a launching pad for Folds himself, who continued releasing piano-based pop songs well into the subsequent years.

The group's story is, in many ways, the story of its de facto leader and namesake, Ben Folds. The son of a carpenter, Folds was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Upon graduating high school in the mid-'80s, the young songwriter drifted from place to place in hopes of discovering a good scene to sow his brainchild. Throughout a decade in which hair bands ruled the airwaves, Folds spent frustrating stints in Miami, Chapel Hill, New York, and Europe before landing in Nashville in the early '90s. In spite the fact that Nashville was a songwriter's mecca, or because of it, Folds found the city's approach to songwriting frustrating and exclusive. While producers and managers wanted obvious hits, Folds wanted, instead, to follow his own muse, and a notoriously eccentric one at that.

When Folds finally drifted back to Chapel Hill in 1994 he formed a piano-based trio with bassist Robert Sledge and drummer Darren Jessee, and within weeks, the band cut an indie single that attracted the attention of Caroline. Their 1995 self-titled debut sold enough copies to warrant the kind of major-label bidding war that young bands fantasize about. Eventually signing with Sony, the group released Whatever and Ever Amen and continued the strenuous touring schedule that the band had become known for. Releasing the singles 'Battle of Who Could Care Less' and 'Brick' into a climate awash with soundalike guitar bands, Ben Folds Five and their witty, offbeat, piano-based music were a welcome difference and the group became critical and commercial darlings. Inevitable comparisons to piano composers of yore such as Todd Rundgren, Billy Joel, and Joe Jackson followed, but the group fought hard to maintain their individuality. Over the next two years, Ben Folds Five kept their name in the press by releasing songs on soundtracks, as well as an album of outtakes, B-sides, and early live appearances called Naked Baby Photos. In early 1999 they released their third full-length album, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner.

In November 2000, Ben Folds Five abruptly announced their split, shocking fans and the media. However, the trio quickly announced that they would be pursuing individual projects.

Bassist Robert Sledge was going to put his own group together while balancing his tour efforts with former Squirrel Nut Zippers multi-instrumentalist Tom Maxwell's group the Minor Drag. Drummer Darren Jessee also went after similar opportunities, playing club shows around New York City.

Ben Folds didn't stop either, for the singer/pianist contributed 'Lonely Christmas Eve' for the Grinch soundtrack, as well as the cut called 'Wandering' for the 2000 independent comedy 100 Girls, before releasing a string of successful solo albums. The group re-formed in 2011, contributing a new track to Folds' 18-track The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective. They made it official the following year with the release of The Sound of the Life of the Mind, the band's fourth studio album, and first since 1999. ~ Steve Kurutz • ORIGIN Winston-Salem, NC • BORN 12 September 1966.

What makes your hair stand on end? Why does your skirt stick your tights?

Why do you get zapped by electric shocks when you go to touch a doorknob? We answer those questions as we explore the science of static electricity. We'll also learn about the 18th-century parties where the goal was to shock, very literally, yourself and your loved ones. Plus: The first event in the first-ever Brains On Electric Games!

It's a dramatic tennis match between Benjamin Franklin and Jean-Antoine Nollet. Star star star star star. How are mountains made? What causes an earthquake? How does hot lava come bubbling up? The answer in each case is.

Tectonic plates! These are giant, moving slabs of rock covering the Earth's surface. When they slide past or smash into each other it shakes the planet. But, they also helped shape the land we live on. Find out how they work with an extreme cooking demonstration (you'll never see peanut M&Ms the same way). Meet the scientist who thought long ago all the continents were smushed together in a super-continent (spoiler: he was right!).

Plus an interview with a USGS scientist about what our planet might look like in a million years. All that plus a mystery sound and a Moment of Um about stinky breath. Listen up and rock on! Star star star star star. Molecules make up everything around us and they are very, very small.

But those molecules are made of atoms, which are even smaller. And then those atoms are made up of protons, neutrons and electrons, which are even smaller.

And protons are made up of even smaller particles called quarks. Quarks, like electrons, are fundamental particles, which means they can't be broken down into smaller parts. In this episode we parse out the subatomic by talking with a physicist from Fermilab. We also hear how scientists' love for glass tubes aided in the discovery of electrons. Our Moment of Um tackles this puzzler: why is chocolate poisonous to dogs?

All that and a smoking hot Mystery Sound. Star star star star star.

We all know what happens when you get a cut or scrape. You get a scab, you try not to pick at it, and then after a little while it heals. But what's really going on under that scab? What superpowers does our skin have to repair itself? And what about other animals like salamanders that can do some pretty extreme healing?

We're going under the skin for this one. Plus: A brand new Moment of Um answers this question: 'How do frogs' tongues stretch so far?' And listen for a new Brains Honor Roll! Star star star star star. Creepy crawly insects and creatures with big teeth and bigger roars can be scary. In preparation for Halloween, here's a tale of one of the scariest creatures around: the sea lamprey.

At about 3-4 feet long, the lamprey slithers through the water like an eel and uses concentric circles of sharp teeth to suction onto its prey. As if that weren't enough, it then pokes its tongue into its victim and sucks the life out of it. Part vampire, part alien invader, the sea lamprey originally thrived in the Atlantic Ocean.

In the early 1900s we forged a path for sea lamprey to swim into the Great Lakes (silly humans). Since fish in the Great Lakes did not evolve with the lamprey, they were not prepared for the attacks. Lampreys have annihilated lake trout and other fish in the Great Lakes -- one can eat up to 40 pounds during its lifespan. How far would you go to stop this invasive species? How about turning the tables and dining on lamprey and pasta? That is one possible solution and conservationists are working on more.

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It's something so natural that we take it for granted -- but when you think about it, it's a little strange. Why does water come out of our eyes? And why does it happen when we're happy? Or exhausted? In this episode we dive into our mysterious emotional tears, find out why onions make us cry (and how to stop it), and hear about the eye-protecting trio of tears that makes Eyetropolis a safer place. Plus: Our Moment of Um explores why we sweat when we're nervous. Star star star star star.

If you've ever heard an old recording of a NASA space mission, then you've heard a Quindar tone. Those are the beeps that we hear behind the voices of mission control and astronauts orbiting space. Today we find out why these tones exist and how they've inspired a couple modern-day musicians. This episode is the inaugural Brains On Curio - a shorter episode that we're adding to our weekly feed.

Today's Curio features Mikael Jorgensen and James Merle Thomas, of the band Quindar. Listen in as they embrace some lesser-known historical NASA audio and turn it into music. Plus: a story from space that shows just how smart spiders are. For more information about Quindar (the band), check out their website quindar.net. Star star star star star.

Laserdisc Game Emulator Mac more. Would you like retire to Mars? It may be possible in the not-so-distant future. Mars is more Earth-like than any other planet in our solar system.

In fact, billions of years ago it was warmer and wetter and life may have developed there. Scientists are trying to figure out why it changed and if we could change it back so humans could live there.

In this episode you'll learn about Mars' ancient past, you'll meet an architect hoping to build cities there and you'll hear from Mars itself, thanks to the planet's video blog, of course. Plus: In our Moment of Um we answer this question: 'Why is money valuable? It's just paper.' Star star star star star. Just like humans, most animals have to fart. Some use their gas as a warning to predators, while others use it to dive in the water.

And beware, there is a real-life killer fart out there. It gives a whole new meaning to silent but deadly. With help from zoologists Dani Raibiotti and Nick Caruso, who have compiled the 'Does it Fart' database, we'll explore the hows, whys and why-nots of animal farts. And we've got a brand new song from Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band all about, you guessed it, animal farts. This episode is truly a gas!

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