Ben Folds
"Way to Normal" Review
Kim Pavlicek
Issue date: 10/8/08 Section: The Edge
Ben Folds is back from the studio after three years with his third solo album, "Way To Normal." Like most Ben Folds or Ben Folds Five albums before it, there is no set premise or logical flow, but is random in a way that completely makes sense. Some songs are relatable to everyone and some are simply storytelling.
Many songs on this album seem to deal with interpersonal relationships: crazy ex-girlfriends, that final goodbye after that last fight, or that snobby person who takes everything for granted and you just want them to smile now and then. But Folds never makes these stories obvious, they require some special listening.
The song "Errant Dog," if taken at face value, is about a dog getting in trouble. But soon you realize it's about a friend or that guy you like, the one that's always going out, always getting into trouble with girls or the law. But he's your friend or your crush, and you'll always have his back and watch out for him forgive him and wonder why didn't come home last night for the fifth night in a row.
The first single off the album is a duet with Regina Spektor called "You Don't Know Me." It's about a relationship where two people look at each other after a while and realize they don't fit the that idealistic view you once had of them anymore and they can no longer figure each other out. The two never talked about anything and wasted their time. As Folds puts it, "You could have just propped me up on the table like a mannequin, or a cardboard stand-up, and paint me any face that you wanted me to be seen." Despite its grim topic, its poppy, happy and upbeat tempo gets stuck in your head for hours, like almost every song on the album.
The most random song on the album is "Effington." The lyrics lead you to believe it was inspired by a trip while touring where Ben Folds saw a little town and thought it was charming, but similar to any other town in the country. The track also holds the album title as a lyric, when he exposes that he is actually "making (his) way to Normal, Illinois." He uses the nearby city's name as a play on words for a "normal" world.
The piano-rocker also tries to be experimental in his production on this album. In the song "Free Coffee," which seems to be more of a fun and pointless jam if anything, you hear constant rattling of tin. It turns out the main instrument used in the song, other than a piano, was a series of well-placed Altoid mint tins.
Ben is back and hasn't changed one bit. The CD is an emotional ride of anger, silliness, sadness, political observations and joy. It's definitely worth the money, and definitely worth the listen.
Many songs on this album seem to deal with interpersonal relationships: crazy ex-girlfriends, that final goodbye after that last fight, or that snobby person who takes everything for granted and you just want them to smile now and then. But Folds never makes these stories obvious, they require some special listening.
The song "Errant Dog," if taken at face value, is about a dog getting in trouble. But soon you realize it's about a friend or that guy you like, the one that's always going out, always getting into trouble with girls or the law. But he's your friend or your crush, and you'll always have his back and watch out for him forgive him and wonder why didn't come home last night for the fifth night in a row.
The first single off the album is a duet with Regina Spektor called "You Don't Know Me." It's about a relationship where two people look at each other after a while and realize they don't fit the that idealistic view you once had of them anymore and they can no longer figure each other out. The two never talked about anything and wasted their time. As Folds puts it, "You could have just propped me up on the table like a mannequin, or a cardboard stand-up, and paint me any face that you wanted me to be seen." Despite its grim topic, its poppy, happy and upbeat tempo gets stuck in your head for hours, like almost every song on the album.
The most random song on the album is "Effington." The lyrics lead you to believe it was inspired by a trip while touring where Ben Folds saw a little town and thought it was charming, but similar to any other town in the country. The track also holds the album title as a lyric, when he exposes that he is actually "making (his) way to Normal, Illinois." He uses the nearby city's name as a play on words for a "normal" world.
The piano-rocker also tries to be experimental in his production on this album. In the song "Free Coffee," which seems to be more of a fun and pointless jam if anything, you hear constant rattling of tin. It turns out the main instrument used in the song, other than a piano, was a series of well-placed Altoid mint tins.
Ben is back and hasn't changed one bit. The CD is an emotional ride of anger, silliness, sadness, political observations and joy. It's definitely worth the money, and definitely worth the listen.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
anon.
posted 10/09/08 @ 7:53 PM CST
the title is "way to normal"
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