BEN FOLDS

Ben Folds is an American singer / songwriter and pianist whose music I really enjoy! He first got notably popular through his band Ben Folds Five (with Robert Sledge and Darren Jessee); their second album Whatever and Ever Amen (released in 1997) got particularly popular! After Ben Folds Five broke up, he pursued a solo career and now has several albums released since. His most recent album, What Matters Most, came out in June 2023! He's also worked on various other projects, such as working on music for Dreamworks movie Over The Hedge, composing the theme song for It's The Small Things, Charlie Brown, and has also released a book and a podcast.

MY THOUGHTS

I blame my dad. I'm entirely serious about this. He is the reason I started listening to Ben Folds; he's a fan too! When I was little we watched Over The Hedge a ton, so we listened to the soundtrack a ton as well, then when I got older I started listening to his other stuff and proceeded to go insane over his albums. It cannot be a coincidence that my dad was a fan and we watched the movie a lot. He clearly was spreading propaganda to me! (This is a joke.)

In seriousness, this is a sort-of similar case to Guster for me; I grew up listening to Ben Folds through Over The Hedge and just eventually fell in love with his other stuff! I'm super into his style, not sure how to describe it- not really pop, I guess it counts as alt. rock. But his skills with the piano are really impressive to me, because of how versatile it is in all of his music! He's also sort of got this kind of edge in his songs that I really like, both his older and newer stuff. It's hard to put into words why, but I really do love listening to all his music. I feel like he's got a song for every emotion!

FAVORITE STUFF

ALBUM: Way To Normal

FAV SONGS: Hiroshima, The Frown Song, You Don't Know Me, Brainwascht, Effington

This is my favorite album of all time. There is not a song on this album I dislike. I don't know what makes it so special to me, but all of the songs sound great and are catchy and some are even emotional and impactful to me! It's something I can put on at any time and always jam out to, or just have it on for background noise... it's the ultimate comfort album for me. I also really like all the "fake" songs (for context: before the album came out, Ben Folds "leaked" some songs from the album, which were actually different songs not on the actual album). God, it's just all around a 10/10 album for me, never gets old to listen to and I highly reccomend it to anyone and everyone!

When I listen to this album I usually listen to the Seeds Version (which is just a higher quality release, plus the "fake" songs and some other bonuses) which isn't too different from the original album but the song order is different. I just think it's funny that Cologne comes right before Bitch Went Nuts, the whiplash is insanely funny.

ALBUM: What Matters Most

FAV SONGS: But Wait, There's More, Exhausting Lover, Winslow Gardens

This is his most recent album! I was incredibly excited for the release of it and it did not dissapoint at all! Most of the songs on the album are a bit slower compared to Way To Normal (and I usually like his faster paced songs a bit more) but really overall it was nice to hear new stuff from him. I particularly love the storytelling in some of these songs, like in Kristine From The Seventh Grade and Paddleboat. I love when songs tell some sort of story mostly in comedy music, so hearing more seriously portrayed storytelling is so good. He pulls it off so well!

Something about the album feels so cozy and carefree to me; maybe it's because it came out right at the beginning of summer so I associate it with that, but it's very gentle and calming to listen to overall. The first two songs especially!

ALBUM: The Sound of the Life of the Mind

FAV SONGS: Michael Praytor, Five Years Later, The Sound of the Life of the Mind, Do It Anyway, Hold That Thought

This is my favorite Ben Folds Five album! I think there's a good mix of faster-paced and slower songs, I really love the vibe of this one; the album feels a bit different from earlier Ben Folds Five stuff but also not super similar to his solo work either. I'm a big fan of whatever's going on in Erase Me and Michael Praytor, Five Years Later. Also the last two songs make me SAD!!! How dare...

Side note, I love the music video for Do It Anyway. It's got Fraggle Rock in it for some reason, not sure why, but I'm certainly not complaining.