REVIEW: Ben Folds Five, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold
Messner
- Lang Whitaker
Ben Folds Five, the curiously named three-piece band from Chapel Hill, N.C., this week releases their third studio album, the extravagantly titled The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner. On their two previous records, the well-received Forever and Ever Amen and their initial self-titled album, BF5 has always seemed like they were guys who just wanted to have fun. Little did we know that somewhere beneath the fuzzy bass and the manic pianos, an impressive level of restraint existed.
On the afore-mentioned previous records (as well as on Naked Baby Photos, BF5's recent album of b-sides and outtakes), Folds established himself as an accurate critic of the southern experience, his songs rife with pop-culture references and detailed yarns about life hovering around the poverty line. Of course, Folds' biting wit crossed with the sonic boom of the band (Folds on piano; Darren Jessee on drums; Robert Sledge on bass;) to create a bizarre but comforting mixture of punk attitude and Gershwin chord progressions.
With Messner, BF5 seems to have grown up a little bit. Now BF5 sounds like a band not so much obsessed with fighting the limits of having three instruments. Instead, BF5 sounds like a band who is interested in seeing what they can do with what they got.
There is no song that immediately recalls "Brick," though the apologetic spaghetti western vibe of "Mess," comes close, at least in tone. "Narcolepsy," the album's first track, sets a rambling example of BF5's new direction. Starting slowly and subdued, the song eventually crescendos to a thrashing, flailing swell, with background vocals straight from an off-Broadway play and Folds wailing over the din like a tenor Celine Dion; basically it's loosely controlled chaos that sounds gorgeous.
At times Messner is reminiscent of the old, fun lovin' BF5. The album's lead single, the jaunty "Army," begins with Folds' singing, "Well I thought about the Army, Dad said, 'Son, you're fucking high.'" However, that sense of humor, formerly so deeply ingrained in BF5's music, has been mostly shelved on Messner in favor of musical experimentation. It may not win BF5 any more fans, but there is a sense of satisfaction glowing from Messner, like maybe BF5 has finally made an album they'd sit around and listen to while getting stoned.
Overall, Messner is a big, sweeping trip; a far cry from the shiny, happy songs BF5 previously presented. Using strings and horns to underscore their efforts, for the first time BF5 actually sounds like they have a purpose or a plan. Instead of just entertaining, BF5 wants to experiment a little. These songs go places -- from fast to slow, from loud to soft, from caring to careful -- and as a result, Messner makes BF5 sound like they know exactly what they're doing.
