Ben Folds

After three very strong EPs that were only available online, Ben Folds follows up with a full release that sounds like he put his old band back together, but he hasn’t. With the unique fuzzy bass guitar, rich, sometimes even melodic drumming and his signature piano mastery, Songs for Silverman is definitely closer to Ben Folds Five than it is to the collection of songs found on Rockin’ the Suburbs. However, sating his fans’ hunger for material with his intermittent EPs may have backfired, because at five songs each, there was no room for weak material, and the raw and intimate sound worked with his honest and heartfelt approach both to lyrical and instrumental attack. It makes Songs for Silverman seem almost too long.

But that may only be because you need to spend time with Ben Folds’ songs for them to blossom. Because despite the bright melodies, layered harmonies and the smirk you can imagine him singing with, these are more than vapid pop songs or just feel-good music, but rather the textured multi-dimensional poignant songs of a great song-writer. The opening track, “Bastard,” seems to be one of Folds’ typical “advice to himself” kind of songs that some people tend to take as arrogant, but are really little reminders of a tiny peace of wisdom gained while going through life. The refrain, “why you gotta act like you know when you don’t know? It’s okay if you don’t know everything” seems to be saying just that. “Jesus Land,” a trip through a post-rapture America, is as political as Folds gets; a soothing descriptive song, with sweet falsetto harmonies in the simple chorus that belies its message. Songs like “Gracie” and “You To Thank” take a playful stab at grown up themes (raising his daughter and the outside pressures on a strained marriage) in a way only Ben Folds can. He is never afraid to contradict himself and to try to express complex feelings.

But there are weak moments too as with “Give Judy My Notice”, which originally appeared on the Speed Graphic EP, and was not well served with the additional instrumentation and the layered backing harmonies. The stripped down voice and piano on the EP served the bitter song much better. “Sentimental Guy” is just too obvious, and the closing track, “Prison Food” doesn’t seem to go anywhere. Overall, though, Songs for Silverman is full of the goodness you’ve come to expect from the combination of Ben Folds’ nerdy observations and excellent musicianship.

For more info see: benfolds.com