Those that have heard Ben Folds Five's albums know:
this band is a creative juggernaut. Or rather was.
Word of Ben Folds's new solo album brings mixed
feelings; on the one hand, it's new material by an
innovative and fresh musician, but on the other hand,
it's a grim reminder the rest of the band has gone its
separate ways. While the dissolution of the trio is
indeed unfortunate, don't worry: Rockin' the Suburbs
is a sublime and accomplished work all the same.
For me, hearing Folds on the piano brings to mind the
image of an enthusiastic child thumping away at a
Fisher Price xylophone. He's intensely energized and
desparately anxious to make his songs poppier than
anyone else. This seems to hold especially true on his
new album, a mix of bold hooks and beatific ballads.
It makes for a great listen. There are remnants of
past Ben Folds Five hits, but these are only quick
peeks from the past, and then the solo artist
continues forward and doesn't look back.
The album's opener is "Annie Waits", a kind of
Queen-like riffer that segways into "Zak and Sara", a
Mellencamp-esque lyrical trip with a backwoods
rockfest sound. The "slow ones", always a joy when
tackled by Folds, are real treasures here. "The
Luckiest" is the minimal but potent closer (rumoured
to be dedicated to his wife), "Carrying Cathy" shares
choral similarities with "Selfless, Cold and Composed"
from 1997's Whatever and Ever Amen and "Still Fighting
It" is stirring yet catchy. The mega-juiced "Gone"
kicks some serious butt and so does the title track,
truly a white boy's rap if ever there was one. "Not
the Same" is a full-blown sonic explosion.
The most stunningly impressive fact regarding Rockin'
the Suburbs is that Folds plays every single
instrument himself on all twelve of the tracks. Maybe
that kind of domineering expertise is what led to his
former band's demise, but none of that is reflected on
this brilliant and wonderful album. It's so good, it
restores my faith in pop music again.
