Ben Folds FiveBest Ben Folds Five Albums Ranked

Whatever and Ever Amen

pitchfork

7.6

“My prediction of Ben Folds Five's debut album was astonishingly accurate. A year later, BF5 have accumulated something like a trillion fans worldwide, played hundreds of sold out shows and received total critical acclaim from just about every media source in the world. I'm no prophet, but it didn't take a genius, either. Thank you, sweet spirits. *Amen* starts out remarkably like their debut: wit”

Live

pitchfork

7.1

“The name Ben Folds Five was not, in fact, a goofy misnomer, despite the fact that the band numbered only three. Nah, besides Folds, drummer Darren Jessee, and bassist Robert Sledge, there were two invisible members equally integral to the BFF sound: Folds' considerable ego, and his almost equally considerable songwriting talent. Argue if you must, but anyone who goes the eponymous route with his b”

The Sound of the Life of the Mind

pitchfork

3.5

“Post-a cappella self-tribute album, post-"The Sing-Off" judging gig, post-diminishing-returns solo career, Ben Folds Five's first album in 13 years feels obligatory and uninspired.”

The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner

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3.3

“Ever since I moved to Chicago I've been running into famous people. John Cusack and Catherine Zeta- Jones are filming a movie right down my street. I placed a web of red lasers up and down Damen at knee's height hoping to see Zeta- Jones' athletically- wrapped booty sliding under them. Unfortunately, I've mostly bumped into indie- rock "icons." Like last Wednesday when I went to go see "The Phanto”