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What Matters Most
Rock · 2023 · 10 tracks

What Matters Most

Ben Folds

Lush orchestral arrangements meeting sharp-witted piano pop. A mature, cinematic reflection on aging, digital disconnection, and finding what remains when the noise stops.

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It's like a Pixar movie for people who grew up on 90s alt-rock and now have mortgages.

A sophisticated blend of mid-life melancholy and sharp-witted observation wrapped in cinematic arrangements.

What Matters Most · vs · Ben Folds
Orchestral Arrangement+1.2σ

The production is pushed notably harder into orchestral arrangement than this artist usually allows.

Tracklist · 10 Tracks
01
But Wait, There's More
02
Clouds With Ellipses
03
Exhausting Lover
04
Fragile
05
Kristine From the 7th Grade
06
Back to Anonymous
07
Winslow Gardens
08
Paddleboat Breakup
09
What Matters Most
10
Moments
Moments Worth Waiting For
The way the lush orchestral swell on the title track suddenly drops into a solitary, fragile piano melody
The rhythmic, almost mechanical piano pulse of 'But Wait, There's More' mimicking the relentless pace of a news cycle
The humorous yet tragic vocal delivery during the bridge of 'Exhausting Lover' where the storytelling becomes frantically specific
Sits BesideSee all
Unlimited
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2006

Shares chamber pop, art pop, soft rock (subgenres); orchestral_arrangement, studio_polished, analog_warmth (production style)

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古巨基
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Shares chamber pop, soft rock (subgenres); orchestral_arrangement, studio_polished, analog_warmth (production style)

Fast Forward
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2015

Shares chamber pop, art pop, soft rock (subgenres); orchestral_arrangement, studio_polished, analog_warmth (production style)

Oxymoron
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2020

Shares orchestral_arrangement, studio_polished, analog_warmth (production style); sunday_morning, coffee_shop, solitude (atmosphere)

Fine
Fine
KIRINJI
2001

Shares chamber pop, art pop, soft rock (subgenres); orchestral_arrangement, studio_polished, analog_warmth (production style)

Cradle to the Grave
Cradle to the Grave
Squeeze
2015

Shares orchestral_arrangement, studio_polished, analog_warmth (production style); sunday_morning, coffee_shop, solitude (atmosphere)

OK Human
OK Human
Weezer
2021

Shares chamber pop, art pop (subgenres); wistful, contemplative, nostalgic (moods)

Tug of War
Tug of War
Paul McCartney
1982

Shares orchestral_arrangement, studio_polished, analog_warmth (production style); chamber pop, art pop, soft rock (subgenres)

So There
So There
Ben Folds
2015

Shares chamber pop, art pop (subgenres); orchestral_arrangement, studio_polished, hi_fi (production style)

The Knowledge
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2017

Shares wistful, contemplative, bittersweet (moods); harmonized, gentle, narrating (vocal style)

Reviews
AllMusic
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