Musically, there are two sides to singer/songwriter Ben Folds: either you get the sincere, solemn songs that harvest strong emotions such as "Brick" or "Landed"; or you get the silly, off-kilter comedy songs that make people laugh but don't generally do much else such as "Song for the Dumped" and "Rockin' the Suburbs."
After 2004's Songs for Silverman was created using largely the former, the critical backlash caused Folds to make his newest release, September's Way to Normal, filled to the brim with the comedy that got him notice in the first place. The problem with going back to his roots in this case is that, when placed side by side with his serious songs, his comedy material just doesn't seem to hold water. By having two incredibly moving ballads on his latest release, the rest of the album tends to suffer in comparison.
The album starts off well enough: "Hiroshima" and "Dr. Yang" are silly songs that sound good and flow well, although "Dr. Yang" suffers from too much going on musically. "You Don't Know Me" is also a good song that both meanders silliness and respectability and also features Regina Spektor's wonderful vocals, and the following "Cologne" and its intro make the first half of this album incredibly strong.
However, after "Cologne," which is a beautifully painful ballad, we are treated to two songs that, after following such a strong and serious song, fall short. "Errant Dog" and "Free Coffee" just don't have the same strong music that the first few songs do, and the content is simply lacking. "Free Coffee" is not only about nothing but trivial matters, it also has an annoying effect that Folds created by putting metal on top of the piano strings and distorting the notes. The result is less than listenable.
"Kylie From Connecticut" is another song that shows where Ben Folds strength really lies and is a fantastic song to close out the album. However, with the two songs shining as highlights on the album, all of the other songs that fail to reach the same sort of stature just look that much worse next to them. It has gotten to the point where I only want to hear three or four songs on the album, and it is only the fact that these songs are so good that the album is worth listening to.
Scoring:
Replayability: (16/20) As stated, this city is worth listening to for "You Don't Know Me," "Cologne," "Kylie Connecticut," and occasionally "Bitch Went Nuts," which doesn't fail to make me laugh. Otherwise, the songs just don't measure up.
Music: (16/20) Ben Folds is without doubt a wonderful piano player, and in several songs his skills are on display. However, the effects in songs like "Dr. Yang" and "Free Coffee" ruin the songs.
Lyrics: (15/20) This is a case of two Ben Folds as well: in the two serious songs his lyrics are poignant and thoughtful. However, in the other songs it seems he sort of just settles for whatever lyrics he could think of.
Completeness: (15/20) The CD flows well enough until tracks 7 and 8, where it slows down to a halt and then limps slowly to the big finale of "Kylie From Connecticut." Add in the fact that most of the songs are inherently skippable, the entire product isn't exactly complete.
Emotional Pull: (16/20) Again, what the rest of the album lacks in emotional content, "Cologne" and "Kylie" make up for in spades.
Total Scoring: 78
Grade: C+
The more I talk about the two serious songss, the more I realize that Songs for Silverman wasn't nearly as bad as the rap it received, and that maybe Folds gets attention for the wrong type of music. At the very least, if he wants to make an album that is more comedic, he'd be better off making it entirely so as not to run this risk of some songs far outshining others.
Check, Check Plus, X
Hiroshima √
Dr Yang √
The Frown Song √
You Don’t Know Me √+
Before Cologne √
Cologne √+
Errant Dog X
Free Coffee X
The Bitch Went Nuts √
Brainwascht √
Effington √
Kylie from Connecticut √+
Happy New Years, everyone! I hope 2009 is good to everyone, and I hope it continues the good luck I've had in 2008. One thing's for sure: tons of new music to look forward to. Everyone have a good one.
Sit tight til the next grade,
RRC
Showing posts with label ben folds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ben folds. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Top Pick-Me-Up Songs: My Favorite Four-Minute Escape Sessions
Music has followed me everywhere I go for as long as I remember, and I know I'm not alone in saying that it has become a driving force of every conceivable situation and emotion in my life. Music for me is most helpful when I need a pick-me-up and the real-world solution isn't in sight or ready to happen yet. This is when I play the songs that, for whatever reason, put me in a better mood just for listening to them.
1. "Question Everything" by 8Stops7. This song is a gem from the Ventura, CA-based band that came into the public light, put out one of my favorite albums of all time In Moderation, and promptly disappeared. I still listen to this album consistently, and this song is the one I pick when I need to realize that problems and perspective fades in time, and things that seem daunting or insurmountable can look so silly when compared with time or, in this song's case, a bigger tragedy.
2. "Get Over It" by OK GO. They've become famous for their amusing videos, but it is this song that always springs to mind when I'm in a slump because the music is uplifting, and the message is simple: stop whining and get over it.
3. "Ok It's Alright With Me" by Eric Hutchinson. The first song off of his amazing album Sounds Like This is just a fun song to take your mind off of your problems and groove with the beat, as short as it is.
4. "Work It Out" by Jurassic 5 ft. Dave Matthews. Not only is the video hilarious, the song is a nice groove and advocates just chilling out and not getting too worked up over the problems in relationships. Sadly, J-5 couldn't work out their own problems and now one of the best hip-hop groups of our generation is gone. But if that depresses me, I can just listen to the song again and cheer up.
5. "Landed" by Ben Folds. I had initially disregarded Ben Folds as a comedy artist in the early years of the millennium, but this song has not only proven me wrong, but has cheered me up when I felt trapped in past relationships. And when I finally "opened my eyes and walked out the door," this was the first song I played.
6. "Pantera Fans in Love" by Nerfherder. I'd like to think I grew out of most of the pop punk music I loved in my young, formative years, but Nerfherder is a band that I haven't been able to drop. It might be because they're funny, or because this song always made me laugh even when I was in a foul mood, but it's easy for me to overlook the simple chords and shallow, funny lyrics and just wonder "How come Slayer doesn't sing about this?"
7 and 8. "A Southern Thing" by Better Than Ezra and "New Orleans" by Cowboy Mouth. I'll lump these two together because I play them when I'm upset about the same thing. These songs are a must when I start to feel negative about the city I live in. I'll be honest and say that I often get tired of living in New Orleans and dream of a life in another city, state, country.
But both of these songs have the ability to put me back in perspective and have a sense of pride for my city. With "A Southern Thing," the line in the chorus "Don't mock what you don't understand, it's a southern thing" makes me realize how different living here is than anywhere else. And when Fred Leblanc belts out "take me back to New Orleans and drop me at my door/'cause I might love you yeah, but I love me more" I always think of how this is my city and how proud I am of it.
I have millions more, but these are the songs that truly help me through a troubling time. It would be interesting to hear what songs get other people through the bad times.
Sit tight til the next grade,
RRC
1. "Question Everything" by 8Stops7. This song is a gem from the Ventura, CA-based band that came into the public light, put out one of my favorite albums of all time In Moderation, and promptly disappeared. I still listen to this album consistently, and this song is the one I pick when I need to realize that problems and perspective fades in time, and things that seem daunting or insurmountable can look so silly when compared with time or, in this song's case, a bigger tragedy.
2. "Get Over It" by OK GO. They've become famous for their amusing videos, but it is this song that always springs to mind when I'm in a slump because the music is uplifting, and the message is simple: stop whining and get over it.
3. "Ok It's Alright With Me" by Eric Hutchinson. The first song off of his amazing album Sounds Like This is just a fun song to take your mind off of your problems and groove with the beat, as short as it is.
4. "Work It Out" by Jurassic 5 ft. Dave Matthews. Not only is the video hilarious, the song is a nice groove and advocates just chilling out and not getting too worked up over the problems in relationships. Sadly, J-5 couldn't work out their own problems and now one of the best hip-hop groups of our generation is gone. But if that depresses me, I can just listen to the song again and cheer up.
5. "Landed" by Ben Folds. I had initially disregarded Ben Folds as a comedy artist in the early years of the millennium, but this song has not only proven me wrong, but has cheered me up when I felt trapped in past relationships. And when I finally "opened my eyes and walked out the door," this was the first song I played.
6. "Pantera Fans in Love" by Nerfherder. I'd like to think I grew out of most of the pop punk music I loved in my young, formative years, but Nerfherder is a band that I haven't been able to drop. It might be because they're funny, or because this song always made me laugh even when I was in a foul mood, but it's easy for me to overlook the simple chords and shallow, funny lyrics and just wonder "How come Slayer doesn't sing about this?"
7 and 8. "A Southern Thing" by Better Than Ezra and "New Orleans" by Cowboy Mouth. I'll lump these two together because I play them when I'm upset about the same thing. These songs are a must when I start to feel negative about the city I live in. I'll be honest and say that I often get tired of living in New Orleans and dream of a life in another city, state, country.
But both of these songs have the ability to put me back in perspective and have a sense of pride for my city. With "A Southern Thing," the line in the chorus "Don't mock what you don't understand, it's a southern thing" makes me realize how different living here is than anywhere else. And when Fred Leblanc belts out "take me back to New Orleans and drop me at my door/'cause I might love you yeah, but I love me more" I always think of how this is my city and how proud I am of it.
I have millions more, but these are the songs that truly help me through a troubling time. It would be interesting to hear what songs get other people through the bad times.
Sit tight til the next grade,
RRC
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