The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner

Today's Music That Has A Long, Unwieldy Album Title But Is Completely Worth It is The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, by Ben Folds Five. I think this is the last album the group put out before Folds went solo, and what a fine swan song it is. Apparently the Messner in the album title was a notable explorer, the first man to climb Mt. Everest without the aid of an oxygen tank. His name is also what the drummer used on fake IDs as a teenager. (Thanks, Wikipedia!)

Anyway, this album has all the hallmarks of a Folds LP: rambunctious, energetic piano, borderline falsetto tenor vocals, irreverent lyrics, good balance between jovial and serious songs. I've always loved how the mood of a Folds album can go from being melancholy and introspective to flippant and smart-assed (or vice versa) in the matter of minutes, sometimes even in the same song. And while the man may not be Dylan with respect to lyrics, they're certainly a strength. More than anything, though, I love this album because it is an album, not just a collection of songs.

While some albums are just a number of songs on a disc, these songs seem to fit together and are ordered and arranged well. Unauthorized starts out a little slow, and has these two wonderfully despondent ballads "Mess" and "Magic" in the middle, and allows songs like "Army" and "My Redneck Past" to lift the mood somewhat. And I'll be damned if "Lullabye" isn't a perfect album closer, the kind of song that sounds the way that crawling into bed and spooning with someone you care about feels. (The best all-time album closer, 40+ years and counting, is probably still the Beatles' "A Day in the Life". This is my opinion, but it's also damn near a fact.)

In short, this album doesn't really have any ringtones, but it's catchy, and well worth listening to. I think you'll get more out of it if you listen to it as a whole album, and pay attention, but the songs are good enough to stand alone if you can't sit still long enough.

In Other News:
Having a scooter is really great. Old Man Winter, you better stay away long enough for me to put some more miles on my scooter!

Tuesday night's capoeira practice was excusively devoted to throws and takedowns. Good fun but damned if I wasn't miserable yesterday.

Please don't let me screw this up.

"So I thought about the army,
Dad said 'Son, you're fucking high...'"