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: with a song so upbeat and catchy, you can hardly help but get excited. "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces" is a portrayal of an anonymous guy who nobody liked in school, but is now "big and important" and laughing in all their faces. Folds claims it's not about him. Right.
As for the album as a whole, it's pretty decent, though there are an overwhelming quantity of mediocre ballads here and only a few good ones. Luckily, the occasional upbeat tunes are just as impressive as ever. If Folds could stick to his happier times, I'd be happier, too.
