If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Alysse Gafkjen Ben Folds is releasing some of his finest music in years, and his latest is "Exhausting Lover." The song tells a story and is a one song musical, but in the hippest way possible. Well... hip is relative when it comes to Ben Folds, after all. The song is about an... encounter with a fan in a cheap motel, but somehow it doesn't come across as overly gross or braggy. It's actually reminding me a lot of a song like "Army" off of Ben Folds Five's 1999 album The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner. It's a complicated song with multiple parts, and it's funny without being too jokey. It's ridiculous, but also a lot of fun. Derek Waters of Drunk History and director of the video says of the song: “I always have and always will love Ben Folds. But now I have a deeper appreciation for him knowing we shared similar experiences in a motel 6 with a hot wheels track and dancers dressed as animals.” You can watch the video for ...

Photo by Alysse Gafkjen I've been a fan of Ben Folds for a long, long time. I first saw Ben Folds Five way back in 1996 at Mama Kin in Boston for the whopping ticket price of $5.00. I'm visible in the DVD that came with Live back in 2002. But, his more recent releases have been hit or miss with me. It's been eight years since he released an album, and now Folds is back with an upcoming album. The first single from that album, "Winslow Gardens," is exactly what I want from Folds in 2023. It may not have the same edge that his music did in 1996, but I certainly don't, either. This is a piano focused (obviously) pop track that is pure Adult Contemporary magic. It has just the right amount of Folds' humor while still being a serious song about isolating with a loved one. If you've fallen off the Ben Folds bandwagon, "Winslow Gardens" is a great jumping back on point. Ben Folds says of his upcoming album: “I come from the vinyl era, and this perha...