October 2008 Archive |
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Ben Folds
Way To Normal
Review By Brian Baker
Ten years ago, I saw the Ben Folds Five on the third or fourth leg of the Whatever and Ever Amen tour. “Brick” had been lighting up the charts for months, and a good percentage of the college crowd in attendance were there for that very reason. Anticipation mounted until well into the second half of the show, when Folds announced, “Well, I guess it’s time to do the big hit single,” whereupon he and the Five launched into “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head,” a joke that was lost on the horrified youngsters who wanted to hear “their song.” They never did do “Brick,” although a bizarre remix of it played through the PA as the disappointed non-fans filed out.
And that’s really been Folds’ mission statement since BF5’s 1995 eponymous debut; take nothing seriously unless there’s a point to be made, have fun and always do the unexpected. Folds’ last album, 2005’s Songs for Silverman, revealed a troubled man in a sinking relationship; his divorce last year put the final punctuation on the album’s sentiments. His third solo album, Way to Normal, finds him returning to the smartass exuberance of his early days, starting with opener “Hiroshima (B B B Benny Hit His Head), a literal retelling of Folds’ face plant during a Japanese show with a not so subtle nod to Elton John. For counterpoint, Folds follows it with the sheer balls out, fuzzed up energy of “Dr. Yang,” the snarky yuppie scum exposé of “The Frown Song” and the martial chamber pop of “You Don’t Know Me,” Folds’ brutally honest love song featuring Regina Spektor. Residual emotions from Folds’ divorce spark his flawless balladic instincts (“Cologne,” “Kylie From Connecticut”), but for the most part, Way to Normal finds Folds giving free rein once again to his acerbic songwriting id (“Bitch Went Nuts,” “Brainwascht,” “Effington”). Normal? Not effing likely. Brilliant? Too effing right.
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