Top Ten Albums of 2012: # 7
December 15, 2012 3 Comments
7. Ben Folds Five – THE SOUND OF THE LIFE OF THE MIND
Often disenchanted with his solo output, I had nearly given up on Ben Folds when he announced he was getting the band (a trio, of course) back together; all it took was one listen of “Do It Anyway” to bring me back into the fold (sorry, couldn’t resist). For someone my age, this album walks a potentially treacherous line between simple nostalgia and pure revelation—just hearing Robert and Darren’s harmonies again brings tears of joy to my eyes, but the truth is their presence completely re-energizes Folds. Against all odds, this is the rare reunion album that works. It’s honestly the follow-up to Whatever and Ever Amen I would have preferred in place of The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, and it doesn’t matter that it took them 15 years to make it.
Favorite tracks: “Away When You Were Here”, “Do It Anyway”, “Erase Me”, “The Sound of the Life of the Mind”
Video for “Do It Anyway” (w/Fraggles!)
KRIOFSKE MIX 
Another one that ended up bubbling under the top 10. Love “Draw a Crowd.”
“Draw A Crowd” is great: only Folds could get away with such a chorus.
I’m working on the Top 5 this weekend. Got to write up four of them. Love that our Top 5 will post the same days.