New Music Tuesday: Ben Folds & Nick Hornby's 'Lonely Avenue'

I'm just some guy on the net, but I don't think Ben Folds sucks, even though I have my own blog. 'A Working Day' starts out this project combining the whimsical and honest musicality of Ben Folds with Nick Hornby's... whimsical and honest writing? The song immediately starts the album off strong with the wit that those familiar with either are familiar with.

These two complement each other greatly due to both of their innate 'vibes'. Just hearing about the album's concept of Hornby writing everything while Folds 'adds music and melody' to these words. Its hard for me to tell sometimes if its just Folds' ability to take any song and deliver it in a way to make it sound like his own (ie. 'Bitches ain't Shit' from 'Songs for Silverman', and 'Video Killed the Radio Star' off of 'Whatever and Ever Amen'), or if in fact the both of them have a very compatible writing style. I'm going to go ahead and assume its some combination of the such, which saves me from making any decisions.

Anyways, this album sounds and reads like a Ben Folds album. Aside from lyrics relating to London and such, its not a confusing listening process trying to discern the difference of the Hornby's words and Folds' composition. The music itself is full of plenty of Folds' piano mastery, and some of the fuzzier distortion more present on 'Way to Normal'. These have a much more full presentation to them though. Perhaps with Folds' focusing on just the music, it helps him to really create full musical landscapes, with each song feeling fully realized. 'Picture Window' reminds me of how he should leave the string arrangements not just for extra tracks like he did with the strings version of 'Landed'.

Playing well to both Hornby and Folds' humorous, yet oddly emotionally honest abilities, 'Levi Johnston Blues' has some fun with the Levi/Bristol Palin drama. Since, Hornby is a novelist by trade, and Folds' a composer, these songs are the most story feeling/sounding songs of Folds' career. They just feel very whole for the most part and border on having an almost rock opera feeling. I find myself imagining ways to connect the songs together somehow in an odd meandering plotline.

Both Hornby romanticisms shine through the various textures that Folds' assigns fairly appropriately to the songs subject matters.

Favorites of the album are the opener, 'A Working Day', 'Levi Johnston Blues', and 'Saskia Hamilton' with its driving beat that just makes you imagine Folds' being only able to play the song while standing and pounding the ivory.

As someone who is already a fan of Ben Folds and Nick Hornby, its hard not to be a little jaded, but if you are someone that can imagine what this partnership would sound like, you will not be disappointed.

Ben Folds & Nick Hornby - 'Lonely Avenue' -> 3.8/5