Ben Folds and Nick Hornby
Lonely Avenue
Nonesuch
by David Chiu
Anyone who is a fan of both of these men can see this pairing on this new album a made match–both these guys share a certain quirkiness and cleverness in their respective mediums. Novelist Hornby provides the lyrics, which reads like short stories reflecting his distinct style of his previous works. Musician Folds transforms the words into catchy ditties that are musically eclectic stylistically augmented by Paul Buckmaster’s lush string arrangements: Belinda, a homage to old fashioned Top 10 pop music; the soulful “Levi Johnston’s Blues, inspired by the celeb-of-the-month, the tender and poignant “Picture Window,” the Weezer-sounding rocker “Your Dogs,” and the raucous tribute to “Saskia Hamilton.” Lonely Avenue is a homage to intelligent pop music that will hopefully will encourage more work involving Hornby and Folds together.
NewBeats 