Poll

Which is your favourite song from the new album (real version)?

Hiroshima
1 (1.9%)
Dr. Yang
5 (9.6%)
The Frown Song
2 (3.8%)
You Don't Know Me
6 (11.5%)
Before Cologne
0 (0%)
Cologne
7 (13.5%)
Errant Dog
2 (3.8%)
Free Coffee
0 (0%)
Bitch Went Nuts
3 (5.8%)
Brainwascht
5 (9.6%)
Effington
10 (19.2%)
Kylie from Connecticut
11 (21.2%)

Total Members Voted: 51

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Way to Normal track rating [Spoilers]

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Offline bENFOLDS

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Way to Normal track rating [Spoilers]
« on: September 24, 2008, 08:20:21 AM »
Okay, apologies if there's already a similar thread. And double apologies to those utlra-loyal among us who must be hating all this talk about the album before they've even heard it. Anyway, I thought it'd be cool if we gave each song a rating out of 10 and a couple of comments.
I'll start:

Hiroshima - 6.75/10 - pretty cheesy stuff, what with the audience - it reminds me of bad artists who use audience cheering sounds to tell idiots "Look, we're popular! Like us or be left out". Of course, Folds isn't one of those artists and that isn't the desired effect at all, but I'm sure lots of people will think that if the song is ever released. On the positive side, it's pretty catchy (especially "You wanna know what's in my head) and it refuses to be conventional.

Dr Yang - 9/10 - I love the way this track sounds, it's totally unexpected and it reminds me of "Sports and Wine". It'd make a suitable next single.

The Frown Song - 8/10 - Another surprising sound, and again it's great. Great chorus.

You Don't Know Me - 9/10 - We've all had plenty of time to make up our mind on this one and I love it. Ben Folds and this Regina Spektor woman sing together really smoothly and really well.

Before Cologne - it's practically the beginning of Cologne so I won't give it it's own rating.

Cologne - 9.5/10 - my favourite track on the album. It's that raw emotion, the kind that has always been Folds' strongest skill. Very good stuff, and it takes a great artist like Folds to have already topped it with Evaporated, but nonetheless superb.

Errant Dog - 7/10 - not really digging the sound yet, but I'm sure it'll grow on me - loving the thumping beat

Free Coffee - 8/10 - really interesting, unique sound straight away, allows us to focus on Folds' lyrics and voice

Bitch Went Nuts - 8/10 - pretty hilarious stuff!

Brainwashed - 8/10 - again, a really great beat though you can't help feel that it's an argument that shouldn't really involve us! Catchy, though!

Effington - 7.25/10 - this track beats along like a train, doesn't it? Very likeable.

Kylie from Connecticut - 8/10 - if it weren't for Cologne, this would be the bare soul of the album. Great stuff.

Overall, at first listen this might seem like Supersunnyspeedgraphic 2, or Naked Baby Photos 3 - a random collection of songs, mostly guilty pleasures - but with every further listen I'm seeing more and more that this has a sadness all the way through, mostly hidden but clear in Cologne and Kylie. Even if the sounds of the songs vary wildly, there's good continuity all the way through. I'd put this right in the middle between Silverman and Suburbs at 9/10.

Your turn!
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Offline BrianLev

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Re: Way to Normal track rating
« Reply #1 on: September 24, 2008, 10:14:47 AM »
1. "Hiroshima" - 7/10 - It's a good song. I was very disappointed when I thought it was the first single because it just didn't strike me as single material. But as NOT a single, I think it's a cool album track. Very catchy.

2. "Dr. Yang" - 8/10 - While trying not to compare any real versions to "fake" versions, I am a bit more drawn to the alternate cut. However, this song is really good and I like the lyrical topic. A theme that you'll notice in my comments is that, lyrically, I think this is his strongest album since RTS.

3. "The Frown Song" - 8/10 - While I was skeptical about it based superficially on just the title (I thought lyrically it'd turn out like its fake counterpart which I must admit is the one new track, real or fake, that I'm not into), this song again is about a subject that I think is a great one and done well. Musically it's really cool too. A great lesson of to not judge a song by the title or a book by the cover.

4. "You Don't Know Me" - 9/10 - I must admit that the Exit/In performance had a certain charm that this one lacks, but this song is just the perfect single. Regina Spektor is a great pop artist of these times and she shines on this track without taking it over. Can't wait to hear how this song sounds live.

5. "Before Cologne" - 10/10 - I don't understand why it's a separate track, but maybe for the purposes of being a single? That'd be cool.

6. "Cologne" - 10/10 - When I gave in and watched the video on his MySpace, this instantly became my favorite new song that I've heard in awhile. The album version is just as good. The line about the astronaut in diapers is the most innovative way of describing missing someone I've ever heard and I'm so jealous, as a songwriter, that I didn't do it first.

7. "Errant Dog" - 9/10 - The vocal is just so energetic and fun! The cursing brings you back to the classic Ben Folds lyric writing and best yet: it works! It's not just throwing in dirty words for the hell of it. It's supposed to sound like Jerry Springer and it does. Love it.

8. "Free Coffee" - 8/10 - Okay I was worried about this one. I thought the Exit/In performance showed promise but wasn't where it needed to be yet. All worries were gone with the first listen of the final version. Great song. Love the prepared piano.

9. "Bitch Went Nuts" - 10/10 - I thought this seemed promising from Exit/In but man oh man oh man.. If he could edit it enough to be a single without sacrificing the charm of the song, I could see this being a hit single. It's got everything - great lyrics full of humor and sincerity, VERY catchy melodies, a dramatic as hell sounding chorus, and just a well written composition all around. I gave this a 10 because, like "Cologne," I couldn't listen just once, I repeated it over and over. Bravo to the band!

10. "Brainwashed" - 8/10 - Great song. Really good melody, cool lyrics. Nothing bad to say really, it's just a good composition.

11. "Effington" - 9/10 - I've always loved this song in any form I've heard it (Exit/In, Live with Philly Orchestra, Studio). The intro lyric alone is just tops. I like the final lyric too with the part about the soundtrack because this song reminds me of the soundtrack to "American Beauty" or the music in "The Sims" so that lyric was great to me.

12. "Kylie From Connecticut" - 10/10 - First time i heard this was at the Philly Orchestra performance. It was worth the wait then, and it was worth the wait now. Awesome lyrics. The highlight is the middle section. Musically, he does a wonderful job of making you feel the exact thoughts of the wife who's thinking about her one that got away and her husband's mistress. Reaffirms my belief that Ben is one of todays best songwriters and if there's any cosmic justice in the world will be remembered forever as such.

Last note - just want to point out that this record got a really good rating on every song for me. That's not typical. Had I gone song by song on his last LP (the compilation of EPs) it wouldn't have been nearly as positive, so take this review as meaning he REALLY did a great job on this record.
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Offline gettinoldtoofast

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Re: Way to Normal track rating
« Reply #2 on: September 24, 2008, 05:51:26 PM »
Hiroshima 5/10
Dr. Yang 7/10
Frown Song 6/10
You Don't Know Me 8/10
Before Cologne/Cologne 7/10
Errant Dog 8/10
Free Coffee 3.5/10 (Live version was so much better. Most dissapointing song on the album)
Bitch Went Nuts 7.5/10
Brainwascht 7/10
Effington 7.5/10
Kylie From Connecticut 8.5/10


So far I'm very dissapointed with the album after 4 or 5 listens.
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Offline You Dont Know Zach

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Re: Way to Normal track rating
« Reply #3 on: September 24, 2008, 05:52:31 PM »
Quote from: gettinoldtoofast on September 24, 2008, 05:51:26 PM
so far I'm very dissapointed with the album after 4 or 5 listens.
BLASPHEMY
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dont overplay, keep it simple and in the pocket, support the song, and you will be asked to play more than you have time to. - Chuck Folds

http://www.last.fm/user/YoudontknowZach
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Offline Brandinian

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Re: Way to Normal track rating
« Reply #4 on: September 25, 2008, 07:33:28 PM »
Is it wrong that I really want to give almost every single song on this album a 10?

Okay, here we go:

"Hiroshima" - 8.5/10 - Love this song. Could easily become one of the crowd favorites if done as a sing along. It's really really catchy, and a great opener. I love the lyrics, despite what some people may say about them. I almost think that it would have been better recorded without the audience.. but it does give it a certain charm.

"Dr. Yang" - 9/10 - This is another great song. It's really really fun, and I love Ben's vocals on it. Plus, the bass sounds great, and I love this so so so much more than the fake version. The fake version I didn't really like at all, but this one is so good. It's super rockin'.

"The Frown Song" - 8/10 - This isn't one that I usually listen to, but it's still nice. It sounds different from a lot of Ben's songs. While it's not my favorite on the album, it's got a great hook, and a pretty cool beat. I like the song all in all, even though I usually wind up skipping it.

"You Don't Know Me" - 10/10 - One of Ben's coolest songs. Love the fact that it's a duet with Regina Spektor, and she is featured just enough to leave you wanting more, but also feeling completely satisfied. The beat of this song is so infectious, and you can't help but to nod your head and bounce while listening to it. The lyrics are great, the song is fun, and it makes for an amazing single. Ben has developed musically, and this song is real evidence of that.

"Before Cologne/Cologne" - 10/10 - I'm just putting these together into one, because they basically are. This song is really beautiful, and I love it so much more than the fake album, because it's like a single Ben instead of a chorus of people. It really feels lonely, longing, which shows that it is such an emotional song. Ben Folds is a genius, and songs like this prove that. In it's nearly 6 minutes of combined run-time, it never drags on, and you still want to hear more and more. The piano and strings belong together. Ben can really make you feel something while listening to his music.

"Errant Dog" - 8/10 - This song does have some great lyrics that make me smile when listening to it. It's another one of those really rocky songs, that sort of sound like a throwback to his BFF days a bit. It's not the best on the album, but it's still really great to listen and jam to.

"Free Coffee" - 6/10 - Not my favorite song on the album. I don't really like it that much, but most people that I have talked to see to like it. It's not by any means a bad song, it just really doesn't appeal to my tastes too much, but I do still occasionally listen to it.

"Bitch Went Nuts" - 10/10 - Great song! So catchy, funny, witty, poppy, and awesome. It's really hard to listen to this and not smile and have it stuck in your head all day. This is one of those songs that you'll be humming over and over until you just have to go back and give it another listen. Yeah, it's that good. Plus, he uses the word c*nt. Who says c*nt in a pop song? Ben f*cking Folds.

"Brainwascht" - 9/10 - I really want to know who this song is about. Again, such a fun song with really funny and witty lyrics. You can tell that it's angry, yet it makes you so happy at the same time, another thing that Ben Folds has a knack for. Everything in this song works so well, he did a great job on it.

"Effington" - 10/10 - This and Kylie are my two favorite songs on the album. This song really sounds like it could be from a movie, and it's super super catchy. The harmonies are awesome, the piano playing is wonderful, the song is super catchy, and the chorus rocks. This has become one of my favorite Ben Folds songs of all time, because it's just so dang good.

"Kyle From Connecticut" - 10/10 - This song is breathtakingly beautiful. The lyrics and music flow so well together, and this song really puts you in an entirely different world when listening to it. There is not one part of this song that doesn't work flawlessly in my opinion. Also one of Ben's best songs.

I love this album, and I think perhaps it may be my favorite of all of his solo albums.

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Offline kevlar35

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Re: Way to Normal track rating [Spoilers]
« Reply #5 on: September 26, 2008, 01:15:19 AM »
Hey guys I'm trying to figure out if I have a problem!

I got a copy of the SE yesterday and I'm loving the songs, but I'm finding some of them quite difficult to listen to, not because of the music, but because of the production or engineering or something.

Much of the album seems really compressed and often a bit distorted (no, I'm not talking about the deliberate stuff in 'Free Coffee' or 'Dr. Yang' although they're affected too). Brainwascht, 'Bitch Went Nuts' and 'Effington' seem really muddy and clipped, even to the extent that listening to them loud is just really unpleasant.

And I loves me some Benjamin Folds cranked up nice and loud as I drive around!

Is anyone else experiencing this, or is it possible that I have a bad pressing or something?

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Offline bENFOLDS

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Re: Way to Normal track rating [Spoilers]
« Reply #6 on: September 26, 2008, 04:15:39 AM »
Have you tried comparing the quality to what's on the Myspace page?
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Offline kevlar35

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Re: Way to Normal track rating [Spoilers]
« Reply #7 on: September 26, 2008, 05:45:04 AM »
Yep. It's kind of hard to tell because I'm listening to the Myspace page through a laptop. I've downloaded a torrent version though so I can compare. I mean, the CD has to be better than that, right?  :)


The mystery deepens. I'm listening to the torrent version now through my home stereo and it sounds pretty good. Hmmm. I'll burn a copy and try it in the car tomorrow. Is it even possible to have a 'bad' CD?
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Offline mattfoxesq

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Re: Way to Normal track rating [Spoilers]
« Reply #8 on: September 26, 2008, 06:41:10 AM »
Some stereo systems and factory component CD players don't respond well to CD's that are produced really "hot," and they end up clipping the sound.  It definitely happens on older models, but on some new players too. 

There's not really anything you can do, unless you want to rip the CD as wav files or mp3's, then lower the level in an audio editing program and re-burn to a new disc.  I would recommend upgrading the CD player if possible, because more and more albums are sadly being compressed for "loudness and punchiness" this way, and I'm guessing you will have problems with other albums too.
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Offline caats19

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Re: Way to Normal track rating [Spoilers]
« Reply #9 on: September 26, 2008, 09:30:45 AM »
"spoilers" in the title is pretty effington funny.  brainwashed is like an 8/10. i dunno bout the rest.
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Offline senselessdrum

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Re: Way to Normal track rating [Spoilers]
« Reply #10 on: September 26, 2008, 11:23:57 AM »
Quote from: You Dont Know Me on September 24, 2008, 05:52:31 PM
BLASPHEMY
[/quote]



This is why I love the .org, because we don't expect to love everything Ben Folds puts out. We love it if we love it, if we don't like it we say we don't. We don't need to all collectively like it because we're a fan. There's a point where the ass-kissing stops. Like, when a fan has an opinion.


I dig a good 65% of the album so far. I need more listens. I'm just wondering what made Ben put such a horrible song as the opener, when he's notorious for puting great energetic numbers in that spot.

Jackson Cannery
OAD
Narcolepsy
Annie Waits
(eh, not really Bastard so much)


But this song is fake, atrocious, annoyingly catchy (yes, the bad kind of catchy). and such an Elton John rip-off rather than a tribute. It would have been ok as a B-side, but to start the album I don't know what he was thinking. As a fan, I'm entitled to question that. Still, I like a decent amount of the sound in the new album so far..
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Offline gettinoldtoofast

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Re: Way to Normal track rating [Spoilers]
« Reply #11 on: September 26, 2008, 11:51:58 AM »
Quote from: gettinoldtoofast on September 24, 2008, 05:51:26 PM
Hiroshima 5/10
Dr. Yang 7/10
Frown Song 6/10
You Don't Know Me 8/10
Before Cologne/Cologne 7/10
Errant Dog 8/10
Free Coffee 3.5/10 (Live version was so much better. Most dissapointing song on the album)
Bitch Went Nuts 7.5/10
Brainwascht 7/10
Effington 7.5/10
Kylie From Connecticut 8.5/10


So far I'm very dissapointed with the album after 4 or 5 listens.

It's getting better with each listen. I just wish there was a track or 2 that would standout to me. It's just a bunch of good, not great, songs.

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Offline BrianLev

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Re: Way to Normal track rating [Spoilers]
« Reply #12 on: September 26, 2008, 02:48:17 PM »
Quote from: kevlar35 on September 26, 2008, 01:15:19 AM
Hey guys I'm trying to figure out if I have a problem!

I got a copy of the SE yesterday and I'm loving the songs, but I'm finding some of them quite difficult to listen to, not because of the music, but because of the production or engineering or something.

Much of the album seems really compressed and often a bit distorted (no, I'm not talking about the deliberate stuff in 'Free Coffee' or 'Dr. Yang' although they're affected too). Brainwascht, 'Bitch Went Nuts' and 'Effington' seem really muddy and clipped, even to the extent that listening to them loud is just really unpleasant.

And I loves me some Benjamin Folds cranked up nice and loud as I drive around!

Is anyone else experiencing this, or is it possible that I have a bad pressing or something?



I had noticed that "You Don't Know Me" sounded compressed as balls (bought it off iTunes). I must say that I felt like it worked for the recording although I'm usually not a fan of that type of production. I'll have the record on Tuesday and we'll see how the rest of the tracks fare. They sound sh*tty on MySpace, but everything sounds sh*tty on MySpace. Regardless, can't be as bad as Metallica's new record where fans are demanding a remixed version.
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Offline You Dont Know Zach

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Re: Way to Normal track rating [Spoilers]
« Reply #13 on: September 26, 2008, 04:26:24 PM »
Quote from: senselessdrum on September 26, 2008, 11:23:57 AM
Quote from: You Dont Know Me on September 24, 2008, 05:52:31 PM

BLASPHEMY



This is why I love the .org, because we don't expect to love everything Ben Folds puts out. We love it if we love it, if we don't like it we say we don't. We don't need to all collectively like it because we're a fan. There's a point where the ass-kissing stops. Like, when a fan has an opinion.


I dig a good 65% of the album so far. I need more listens. I'm just wondering what made Ben put such a horrible song as the opener, when he's notorious for puting great energetic numbers in that spot.

Jackson Cannery
OAD
Narcolepsy
Annie Waits
(eh, not really Bastard so much)


But this song is fake, atrocious, annoyingly catchy (yes, the bad kind of catchy). and such an Elton John rip-off rather than a tribute. It would have been ok as a B-side, but to start the album I don't know what he was thinking. As a fan, I'm entitled to question that. Still, I like a decent amount of the sound in the new album so far..
I was joking but it's cool cuz you're an orger, you wouldn't know. :P
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dont overplay, keep it simple and in the pocket, support the song, and you will be asked to play more than you have time to. - Chuck Folds

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Offline Nudist

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Re: Way to Normal track rating [Spoilers]
« Reply #14 on: September 27, 2008, 10:18:44 AM »
Quote from: senselessdrum on September 26, 2008, 11:23:57 AM
Quote from: You Dont Know Me on September 24, 2008, 05:52:31 PM
BLASPHEMY



This is why I love the .org, because we don't expect to love everything Ben Folds puts out. We love it if we love it, if we don't like it we say we don't. We don't need to all collectively like it because we're a fan. There's a point where the ass-kissing stops. Like, when a fan has an opinion.


I dig a good 65% of the album so far. I need more listens. I'm just wondering what made Ben put such a horrible song as the opener, when he's notorious for puting great energetic numbers in that spot.

Jackson Cannery
OAD
Narcolepsy
Annie Waits
(eh, not really Bastard so much)


But this song is fake, atrocious, annoyingly catchy (yes, the bad kind of catchy). and such an Elton John rip-off rather than a tribute. It would have been ok as a B-side, but to start the album I don't know what he was thinking. As a fan, I'm entitled to question that. Still, I like a decent amount of the sound in the new album so far..
[/quote]

I agree with you that Hiroshima is a poor opener.  But Bastard?  That was brilliant.
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