Songs for Silver

On the opening track for his fifth official studio album, Ben Folds questions young conservatives in his typically bratty manner, singing, “the more you know, you know you don’t know sh**. The ‘Whiz Man’ will never fit you like the ‘Whiz Kid’ did.” Whether it was his intention or not, Songs for Silverman is ready-made music for those trying to fight their way into their 30s. That’s right, the fireball who once wrote “Song for the Dumped” has grown up. But don’t worry, he’s still as sharp as they come; and the piano pop licks are (of course) still the best around. 

With the critical success of his most recent album, Rockin’ the Suburbs, looming over his head, Folds took time compiling his second solo album, in the meantime offering four EPs and a live album to tide his zealous congregation of fans. Silverman sees Folds once again dumping the guitars, keyboards and high production value in favor of a more organic sound comparable to his pre-Suburb output. At first the new batch of material seems slightly uninspiring due to its often subtle compositions and (for possibly the first time in his career) nearly straightforward writing. As rousing as ever, Silverman is Folds’ first truly mature album in which he is able to offer his aging audience the typical charm and champion compositions, (not to mention the poignant, introspective lyrics) they’ve come to rely on him for.

Silverman‘s lead single, “Landed,” is a relateable story about love’s blinding power and the negative affects it can leave in its tracks. One of his finest compositions to date, Folds tell a love story that ends in lost friends, bad communication and, ultimately, a plane ride home, singing “treading the sea of her troubled mind, I had to leave myself behind. Now it’s bye-bye, goodbye, I tried.”

“Late” offers some heartwarming memories about the late fellow master pop-balladeer Elliott Smith, as Folds sings, “I played the show, got back in the van and put the walkman on, and you were playing in some other dive a thousand miles away, I played a thousand times before. And like pathetic stars, the truck stop and rock club walls. I always knew you saw them too, but you never will again. It’s too late.” As Silverman progresses, Folds (alongside Jared Reynolds on bass and Lindsay Jamieson on drums) contemplates past relationships, religion, and moving on, thus keeping up the aforementioned theme.

As he did for his son on Suburbs’ excellent “Still Fighting It,” Folds presents “Gracie,” a nursery rhyme-styled song about his daughter. More touching than “Still Fighting It,” Folds sings “you’ve got your mama?s tastes but you got my mouth, and you will always be a part of me nobody else is gonna see, Gracie girl.” Also of note is “You To Thank,” a spot-on synopsis documenting the emotions that typically go along with young marriage. “Christmas came around and everything was going to crap. For moms and dads, not a clue to be had, yeah, we put on a pretty good act. And they all seemed to need to believe it, so we danced and smiled, and paddled hard beneath it. I’ve got you to thank, for this.”

Early in his career, as is the case with most young successful acts, Folds masked his sub-par lyrical abilities with gobs of style. Now well into his career, Silverman is a no-frills look into the life of one of America’s best songwriters. Overall, Silverman is much less accessible than the poppy Suburbs, but hey, what isn’t” Give Songs for Silverman a handful of listens; I’m sure you’ll get it. If not, pick it back up sometime after your twenty-fifth birthday; you might need it.     7.5/10

Written by G. William Locke