“I come from the vinyl era, and this perhaps more than any record I’ve made is a true album."
Longtime WFPK favorite Ben Folds has announced his new album, What Matters Most, will be released June 2nd via New West Records. The first taste we get of the new album is the track, “Winslow Gardens.”
Speaking about the new album, Folds says: “There’s a lifetime of craft and experience all focused into this one record. Sonically, lyrically, emotionally, I don’t think it’s an album I could have made at any other point in my career.”
He added: “I come from the vinyl era, and this perhaps more than any record I’ve made is a true album. There’s a very specific sequence and arc to each side, all building up to this almost surreal positive finale, and that structure was really important to me. More than anything, I wanted to make an album that was generous, that was useful. I want you to finish this record with something you didn’t have when you started.”
In between album releases, Folds has stayed busy the past eight years working with orchestras and contributing songs to soundtracks.
“It can be difficult jumping back and forth from one discipline to another,” he says, “but you learn so much from moving between worlds and collaborating with so many different kinds of artists. I performed some of the songs on this record with the National Symphony Orchestra before I finished recording them for the album, and that context gave me so much insight into how I wanted to handle them in the studio.”
Ben also announced an upcoming tour that includes a Louisville date! WFPK is proud to present Ben Folds at the Louisville Palace on June 18th!
