On his latest "solo" effort, Ben Folds offers less of an album than a study in quirky, quirky songs. In the lead up to the completion of Way to Normal fans are told/reminded about his latest divorce, but then it is suggested we shouldn't actually think about it when picking apart each song bit-by-hidden-message-bit. Folds was quoted in a press release as saying this record is "really about me being free, which is why it feels cathartic and expressive. It's about me coming back to being myself...the songs are not topical. I was not interested in making a record about the D-word. I got all that stuff out of my system on the last record which was deliberately stoic".
"Cathartic and expressive" I honestly didn’t get much of, though the "slightly vengeful" and "angry" vibes came though loud (Ben Folds loud) and clear. He mentioned the "D-word" and you’re stuck on first listen sifting through the feelings, the references, the shit. It’s almost a little like being told a house is haunted before you get given the tour; the hardwood floors and antique fireplace may be stunning, but you're just looking for ghosts.
The album starts with a fun tune called Hiroshima (and as a mate pointed out - "really though, has there ever been a fun tune called Hiroshima?") that is a live recording of a wacky song about Ben Folds taking a dive off the stage at a concert in...you know...and suffering a concussion. To begin with - those familiar piano chords and the subtitle "B-B-Benny Hit His Head" alludes to a bit of an Elton John shout out. Dissect the song as I couldn’t help doing on a third rotation and you hear whimsy fall away, exposing the anger of a guy feeling the insecurities of such confessional writing that cuts a little too close to the bone - exemplified by the lines "They're watching me, watching me, watching me fall... do you wanna know what's in my head?" As an opening track it truly is an audacious choice.
The fast and driving "Dr. Yang" comes as a fairly solid track. That fuzz bass sound and frenzied blur of feedback guiding the tune along with great rock/jazz piano and vocals that are often brash outbursts- along with the song "Errant Dog" - seems to channel out Ben Folds Five a bit. Just a bit. It’s the sound of Ben cutting loose properly again.
The subsequent songs dabble in electronic/industrial, straight-ahead rock, and the Ben Folds melodramatic, unique, not quite good but exceptionally endearing voice.. Coupled with nice harmonies, two-step drumming and a great synth lead, "The Frown Song" is a challenge put forward to keep that falsetto chorus out of your head. Lyrically adventurous ("speculate who might be fucking the guru"), it's a witty gem and live gigs would go-off with the help of this crowd-pleaser.
Lead single "You Don’t Know Me," which features Regina Specktor popping up and splitting the vocal duties is catchy and a little kooky, but really doesn’t sound like a Ben Folds song (and it isn’t the only one on the record to feel that way).There’s some alright boy-girl dialogue back and forth between Folds and Specktor who as many are aware- the ladies voice is sublime.
For me the highlight of Way to Normal is one that echoes vintage Folds, a song that would have best fit on Songs for Silverman had it not been likely to be lost. It makes a big impact here. Laid out almost like the album's centrepiece, "Cologne," and its instrumental introduction, "Before Cologne" starts with a string arrangement that builds into a haunting and emotionally charged combination and leaves you longing for more. The charm in "Cologne" is its simplicity, the sad, poignant chorus of "4...3...2...1...I’m letting you go," sings Folds (it’s that haunted house routine again...listen and you'll hear the detritus of the divorce rattling and clanging). It’s a real grower but it has to be said that it almost feels out of place with all of the other "fun" songs on the album. Starting now to wonder if knowing about Ben Folds personal status has gotten in the way and altered fairly dramatically my stance on this collection of melodies and lyrics. Couldn’t I just let the music and words dictate my reactions? Too late now I guess. I take comfort in knowing there’s more than enough fans out there sharing the same sentiment.
The lyrics in "Free Coffee" strongly reflect cover art inspiration - albeit the track itself is a quasi-techno nightmare with a synth-based sparkle but just feels unfinished and awkward. This is really the only significant departure from his better known song writing and musical styles and that straight-ahead piano-based pop.
Folds latest addition to his "Bitch trilogy" (after "Song for the Dumped" and "Bitches Ain't Shit") is with "Bitch Went Nuts." The song title tells you all you need to know about the song's content - an utterly infectious rollicking and foul-mouthed break-up anthem that conjures up images of Folds' scorned ex-girlfriends swarming to his house with "torches, scores, scores and scores to settle with themselves". Yo.
Then there’s the intro on Effington which is strangely disarming, before the song spins another yarn about life in small-town America, and final track Kylie from Connecticut is a rather thoughtful and moving ballad built around romantic piano loops and a fragile vocal.
What I know is the guy sure can create incredibly well-constructed, catchy, clever and occasionally heart-wrenching tunes and this latest offering follows on from his last album in a progressive sense for Mr Folds as his tales of love and loss. The album as a whole doesn’t blow my mind. Yet. Taking my time listening through for the balance of emotion with comedy and melancholy with fun the way Ben Folds does but so differently each time- sadly Way to Normal is taking a little more work than it should to reach it.
