Ben Folds
Way To Normal (Sony)
By Michelle Carlton
Published: October 7th, 2008 | 9:00am
Perpetual geek Ben Folds has never been inclined toward seriousness, but even he’s outdone himself with his latest record: On Way To Normal, Folds seems to have shed his Piano Man image and instead regressed into a 13-year-old boy. The talent is still there — who else can sing about astronaut Lisa Nowak driving in diapers for romantic revenge and make it sound like a pièce de résistance? — but lyrically, Folds has thrown out the rulebook. Although Normal is far from Weird Al territory, its tracks range from subtly facetious (“The Frown Song”) to blatantly silly (“Bitch Went Nuts”).
The album opens with “Hiroshima (B B B Benny Hit His Head),” an anecdotal track about falling off the stage during a show in Japan, leading to “blood on the keyboard” and a concussion. The irreverence continues throughout the record as Folds sings about God laughing at football teams, and Anthropologie stores built on sacred Indian grounds. When he dips into serious subject matters, the results are more worthwhile; Normal’s first single, “You Don’t Know Me” featuring Regina Spektor, describes a couple who, despite having been together for a long time, feel completely misunderstood by each other.
Musically, the album stays true to Ben Folds form: heavy on the piano, plenty of strings, and supremely catchy — but he mixes it up with other sounds like electronic keyboard effects and choral harmonies. As his previous work has shown, Folds knows how to hook a listener; these songs will stick in your head whether you want them there or not. But compared to his past albums, Normal has fewer genuine, insightful moments and more self-righteousness and anger. This singer clearly doesn’t want to grow up, and no one’s going to make him. In the end, listeners may be glad Folds is a pop artist and not their friend — it makes it much easier to hit the pause button.
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Ben Folds’ official site
Ben Folds’ MySpace page
Issue #35
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