Way to Normal

Infobox Album |
Name = Way to Normal


Type = Studio Album
Artist = Ben Folds
Released = flagicon|Japan 17 September, 2008
flagicon|Australia27 September, 2008
flagicon|EU flagicon|UK 29 September, 2008
flagicon|USA flagicon|CAN 30 September, 2008
Recorded = Ben Folds' Recording Studio Nashville, TN
Genre = Singer Songwriter
Label = Epic
Producer = Dennis Herring
Reviews = *All Music rating|3|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:fpfoxzwkldfe link]
*"Consequence of Sound" Rating|2|5 [http://consequenceofsound.net/2008/10/06/album-review-way-to-normal/ link]
*Drowned In Sound rating|8|10 [http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/4076632 link]
*"Entertainment Weekly" (B+) [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20228344,00.html link]
*Rolling Stone rating|2.5|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/benfolds/albums/album/22972319/review/23063445/way_to_normal link]
*Evade The Noise rating|3.5|5 [http://evadethenoise.com/2008/10/06/ben-folds-way-to-normal/ link]
*Q Magazine rating|3|5
*Daily Music Guide rating|3|5 [http://www.dailymusicguide.com/Reviews/ben_folds_way_to_normal_album_review_29092008_1912.aspx link]

Last album = "Supersunnyspeedgraphic, The LP"
(2006)
This album = "Way to Normal"
(2008)
Next album = -

Misc =Extra album cover 2
Upper caption = Alternate cover
Type = studio


Lower caption = Cover for the fake leak version of the album

Way to Normal is a 2008 studio album from Ben Folds. It was released on 30 September 2008 in the United States and on 29 September 2008 in the United Kingdom. [http://www.thesuburbs.org.uk/news/_Way_To_Normal__UK_Release_Date_29th_September] [http://www.benfolds.com/info.html] [http://www.imeem.com/benfolds] The album is Folds' highest-charting debut ever in the US, reaching #11 on the Billboard 200 in its first week of release. [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003871707]

"Way to Normal" made a return to Folds' more tradional method of songwriting. The album is full of upbeat songs, injected with the humor that many fans felt "Songs for Silverman" completely lacked.

Track listing

#Hiroshima (B B B Benny Hit His Head)
#Dr. Yang
#The Frown Song
#You Don't Know Me (featuring Regina Spektor)
#Before Cologne
#Cologne
#Errant Dog
#Free Coffee
#Bitch Went Nuts
#Brainwascht
#Effington
#Kylie from Connecticut

Fake leak

On 16 July 2008, an anonymous user posted what they claimed was a "leak" of Ben Folds's latest album on fan sites [http://www.theSuburbs.org.uk theSuburbs.org.uk] and [http://www.benfolds.org BenFolds.org] . The file contained nine tracks along with a PDF of supposed cover art, and was a mix of what appeared to be legitimate songs from "Way to Normal" and bizarre pastiches of foul-mouthed humor and melodramatic pop. Accordingly, the online forums became full of debate as to which were real - and which were fake - until the 12 August 2008 when Ben admitted on Triple J radio that many songs in the leak were fake. [cite web
url=http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/breakfast/blog/s2332103.htm
title=Ben Folds Interview
publisher=Triple J
date=2008-08-12
accessed=2008-08-24] He claimed that he and the band recorded fake versions of songs from the new album when they "had a night to kill in Dublin", and had a friend leak it to the public "to give them something to listen to" Triple J Radio [http://www.thesuburbs.org.uk/news/Ben_confesses_to_leak_on_Triple_J "12 August 2008 Triple J Interview With Ben Folds"] . "thesuburbs.org.uk". 2008-08-12.] .After confirming that the leaked "Brainwascht", "The Frown Song" and "Free Coffee" were fake, he stated that they will be used as b-sides and bonus tracks on upcoming releases. A few days later, in a Rolling Stone article Folds walked people through the differences between the real album cuts and the fake leak cuts. [Rolling Stone - Why I Leaked It: Ben Folds Comes Clean About His Fake (And Real) New Album, "Way To Normal" [http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/22595157/why_i_leaked_it_ben_folds_comes_clean_about_his_fake_and_real_new_album_way_to_normal] ]

Leak Track listing

# Brainwashed
# Way To Normal^‡
# Lovesick Diagnostician (Dr. Yang)
# Free Coffee Town^‡
# Bitch Went Nutz
# Frowne Song (Feeble Anthem)^‡
# Cologne (Piano Orchestra Version)^‡
# Hiroshima^†
# You Don't Know Me^†
*^‡ - Bonus track on Japanese release

*^† - Real version of song featured on main album [http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/22595157/why_i_leaked_it_ben_folds_comes_clean_about_his_fake_and_real_new_album_way_to_normal/4]

Charts

Album

References