Reinhold Messner: Frustrating, Disappointing Album from Ben Folds Five
Written: Mar 16 '05
Product Rating:
Pros: Some fine songs--particularly Don't Change Your Mind
Cons: A lot of forgettable music, melodramatic
The Bottom Line: There are certainly worse things in the world then this mediocre album. Unfortunately, this is the worst release from Ben Folds or Ben Folds Five.
lambchops's Full Review: The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner by ...
The two things that have always set Ben Folds apart from the pack are his immense musical talent and his coy sense of humor. There is never any mistaking a song from him (or for that matter his band). However, like every truly entertaining outfit there are moments that don’t live up to what I expect. I’m pleased to report that by and large Fold’s material is all excellent—save for one album that precariously tiptoes the line between good and mediocre.
At first listen I really wanted to love The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner in the same way I cherished the solo Rockin’ the Suburbs. I understand a band/artist wanting to try new and more mature things, but truth be told Ben Folds Five was already doing everything right. Great songs backed by great music performed by great entertainers—what more could listeners possibly want? I certainly didn’t want them to change too awful much.
Ben Folds Five made their breakthrough with the 1997 album Whatever and Ever Amen. Yielding the smash hit Brick and minor successes Battles of Who Could Care Less and Song for the Dumped it was exactly what the band needed to do in order to land atop the charts. Hip, happy, sarcastic, funny, and overall well assembled the album was imperfect but entertaining. The band gave me hope for the future of pop music. Less cohesive, less kinetic, and overall less engaging, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner fails to connect with me overall on the same level as Whatever and Ever Amen and the subsequent superb 2001 release Rockin’ the Suburbs.
Ben Folds (lyrics, vocals, guitar, piano), Robert Sledge (bass), and Darren Jesse (drums) set out in 1994 to make melodic, classic, piano-driven pop in much the same vein as Todd Rundgren melded with a dash of Cheap Trick and Joe Jackson. It didn’t take long before they were “discovered.” Of the band’s three releases, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner does the least for me. There are moments at which I can’t help but fall in love with the band all over again, but generally I’m nonplussed. Where is the tidy, creative quaintness that always made Ben Fold Five special? Not here, my friends, not here.
The best songs are clustered toward the beginning and middle of the album (which, by the way, is an account of Folds’ heartbreaking divorce). Don’t Change Your Mind is easily the best song of the outing. Simple, beautiful, and evocative it smacks of everything I’ve always enjoyed about Folds. His quiet, boyish voice paired with light percussion and piano make for a fabulous mid-tempo track. It is easily one of the best songs the now defunct band ever released and in a lot of ways is a precursor to the brilliance that would later be Rockin’ the Suburbs. And then there are the lyrics centered around love and love lost. There’s nothing untruthful or obtuse about Folds’ words:
All I really wanna say:
You're the reason I wanna stay
But destiny is calling and won't hold
and when my time is up
I'm outta here
All I know's I gotta be
Where my heart says I oughta be
It often makes no sense, in fact
I never understand these things
I feel
There aren’t any other songs that equal the power of this one on this disc. However I do find myself gravitating toward a few others selections. Narcolepsy is a dramatic track loaded with strings, distorted guitars, and the band’s usual piano. As the song progresses everything but Folds’ voice and piano are set aside. It’s an oddly operatic pop song. It’s one of the few times that I’m really struck by the arrangement on this relatively forgettable but still well made album.
Magic also strikes a nerve, though by the time it comes around I must admit I’m already growing tired of the slow pace of the album. The songs are certainly emotional, but there is only so much of the same thing over and over again I can handle. Magic is one exception because of Folds’ naked emotion. In addition, I cannot help but adore the lovely string arrangement. It takes until mid-album before listeners are finally given a pair of upbeat songs. Army and Your Redneck Past are both worth hearing. The former is about rejection, loss, and unmet goals. Regardless of the “heavy” topic it is one of the more entertaining tracks. The title of the latter is enough to tell a bit about the light-hearted nature of the offering. The band speaks to the ways you can cover up your redneck past. There’s nothing deep about it—in fact, despite the upbeat nature of the track I grow tired of it by about the mid-point as Folds sings a handful of French lyrics.
The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner has a few unexpected surprises. Your Most Valuable Possession features Ben’s father on the answering machine speaking over the top of light instruments. It sounds like spoken word when in truth it is just a rambling, half-asleep phone call. It’s by no means enjoyable, but it is interesting. Album ender Lullabye is a quiet, warm gem. Unfortunately, by the time it happens my attention has long since waned. The fact that I am not drawn to many of the songs is also a surprise. Ben Folds Five and Ben Folds as a solo artist usually impress me. This album just seems melodramatic, over-thought, and in the end fails to connect with me on the same visceral level as the other releases.
If you are really interested in checking out music from Ben Folds Five, I highly suggest the band’s 1995 eponymous debut and 1997’s Whatever and Ever Amen. Both are much better than this dour pop piece. Even more perfect though is Folds with his 2001 masterpiece Rockin’ the Suburbs. By the way, watch for a new solo release next month—Songs for Silverman. I’m hoping for another tiny miracle from the talented singer/songwriter. Folds definitely has it in him. As it stands, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner alternates between good and forgettable—in the end the forgettable part wins.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Narcolepsy
02. Don’t Change Your Plans
03. Mess
04. Magic
05. Hospital Song
06. Army
07. Your Redneck Past
08. Your Most Valuable Possession
09. Regrets
10. Jane
11. Lullabye
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