The Sound of the Life of the Mind - Ben Folds Five
User Score
7.6 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 14 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 14
  3. Negative: 1 out of 14

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  1. cables
    Sep 21, 2012
    10
    This is a great comeback album. Please excuse Pitchfork for, once again, not being able to get out of their own way. BFF really channel their early material yet you can still hear the influence of Ben Folds' solo output as well. It's as good as expected and definitely worth your time. Check it out.
  2. andy_indierock
    Sep 23, 2012
    9
    This 10 tracks album strangely started with slow sad song and afterwards, things come to change to best indie rock songs from this old band that can compared to new bands like spector or gaslight anthem. Recommended for indie fans. Dont let the old guys let down your expectations.
  3. Jakebethel7
    Sep 18, 2012
    9
    Ben Folds and company are in full form on this long-awaited return. The boasting charge of "Erase Me" and other energetic tracks keep flush with the melodrama of "Thank You For Breaking My Heart", making this album solid throughout. The skill of the piano, bass, and drum sounds is virtually guaranteed given the listener's prerequisite of BFF's earlier albums. The real strength of this effort is not in the instrumentation expected of it but in the well-placed and well-delivered strings and abrupt stops: the truly unpredictable elements. Each track boasts its own unique progression, giving the album an overall feeling of participation, sort of being along for the ride as the current of jazz-enthused alt-rock pushes the listener in and out with the tide, providing just the sort of escape regular listeners have come to expect from the piano-rock veterans.… Expand
  4. RantAboutFuture
    Feb 20, 2013
    9
    This is more great music by Folds and friends. Professional critics play to their respective niches. You needn't factor their opinions into the product of your own.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
61 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 16
  3. Negative: 1 out of 16
  1. Magnet
    Dec 4, 2012
    50
    We still find this trio a little yawn-worthy. [No. 93, p.55]
  2. Under The Radar
    Nov 30, 2012
    45
    Way too easygoing and disappointingly light on rockers. [Oct/Nov 2012, p.128]
  3. Q Magazine
    Oct 23, 2012
    40
    In the end, it's all a bit too sensible. [Nov 2012, p.95]
See all critic reviews »