The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner by Ben Folds Five

Pros: Some fine songs--particularly Don't Change Your Mind
Cons: A lot of forgettable music, melodramatic

The two things that have always set Ben Folds apart from the pack are his immense musical talent and his coy sense of humor. There is never any mistaking a song from him (or for that matter his band). However, like every truly entertaining outfit there ...

Pros: Very diverse set of tunes, more adventuresome album. "Don't Change Your Plans" is beyond awesome.
Cons: An awful lot of 3/4 tempos, volume changes and extreme speeds both ways.

You just gotta love Ben Folds Five. I always thought Ben Folds looked a little bit like Ben Stiller, and when you think about it, Ben Folds Five are kind of like the Ben Stiller of the music industry. Just a few goofballs with the ...

Pros: Even in the fluffiest of songs, Ben's pain shines through
Cons: Some self-indulgent tendencies, though Ben's self-absorption is the major draw of the album.

There are rooms in this house that I don't open anymore Dusty books and pictures on the floor... It's a portrait of the breaking, the aural equivalent of mental meltdown. It is utter pain, clothed in transparent snark and smartassery. It is ...

Pros: A more mature and powerful style is introduced in this album.
Cons: A little bit short.

Ahh... Ben Folds Five, the guitarless trio who manages to inspire through excellent songwriting by Ben Folds, and the band's excellent music style. Without a doubt, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, Ben Folds Five's fourth and final ...

Pros: An unconventional yet familiar Ben Folds Five sound
Cons: Disjointed and a bit too short

I've been a huge fan of Ben Folds Five since my Senior year in high school, when Whatever and Ever Amen first came out and blew my then-fragile mind. I went to great lengths to get my Ben fix, even going so far as to suffer through a full Dave...

Pros: Emotional, thought-provoking music.
Cons: A couple skippable tracks

The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner currently stands as the #1 album on my list. It holds position one in my CD changer and is likely not to be moving for quite some time. I have owned this one ever since it was released and...

Pros: Good vocals and songs
Cons: A few bad songs

The cursor is flickering at me, so I had better come up with a clever intro to this review. This is a solid record, but not up to the standards of Whatever and Ever Amen, their previous release. Up through the sixth track, it approaches...

Pros: The chicks'll just love you
Cons: Everyone will want to borrow your jealously guarded BF5 collection

What? You haven’t heard of the Ben Folds Five? Well I’m sure that you will be forgiven for this lapse but, when you do hear them, you’ll wonder what the hell you were doing all that time listening to music that you thought was good at the time but you...

Pros: Will literally drive your heart up into your throat.
Cons: I always think people who say "none" are lame... umm... none

For those of you so kind as to frequent my writings, I want to let you know something... I was re...

Pros: First six tracks
Cons: The rest

As the first dreamy notes of ‘Narcolepsy’ explode into an intense drumming rhythm and resounding bass line, you might be forgiven for thinking that we are in for another typical Ben Folds Five album. But something distinctly different is going on in...

Pros: Ben Folds is an excellent song writer, a couple of there best songs ever are on here
Cons: so sad!

I have notices that throughout Ben Folds Five's albums, the songs become sadder and sadder. The original Ben Folds Five self titled album, is for the most part upbeat, with fun lyrics, and fun songs. Though there were a few slower more serious songs,...

Pros: The skilled musicians of Ben Folds Five solidify their unique sound on this disc full of genuinely interesting tunes.
Cons: Might take a while to grow on fans that are not familiar with Ben Folds' brand of intelligent pop.

The beginning of the latest Ben Folds Five album, (that was named both for the first man to climb Mt. Everest without an oxygen tank, and for the name that the BFF boys unknowingly used on their fake IDs in their foolish youth), almost sounds like...

Pros: Great Songs
Cons: Not Like Previous Albums

At first I was upset because "Army" was the only song that sounded upbeat and like the other Ben Folds Five songs. Compared to the other albums, I didn't like it and refused to listen to it.
But when I gave it a second chance, I realized...

Pros: Very mature CD. Shows that the band has progressed very well and grown up somewhat
Cons: Hospital song

I bought this CD to complete my BF5 collection. Plus, I'm always wanting to hear new music by my favorite band. This CD is really an accomplishment. From listening to BF5 over the years, this addition surprised me. No more of the squeaking piano...

Pros: Dizzying, melodramatic, beautifully epic songs
Cons: A few boring songs

The first time I listened to this, I was appalled: Ben Folds' pretensions, which had previously been relegated to catchy pop tunes, had now exploded into what seemed like a full-scale Broadway soundtrack, complete with orchestrations, raving...