Ben Folds has teamed up with English novelist Nick Hornby for a new album, Lonely Avenue. The former frontman of Ben Folds Five says he originally embarked on the collaborative effort for a change of paceand out of admiration for Hornby. "Doing it this way is a first for me, and it's Nick's first record, Folds told NPR. It gives the whole thing a lot of energy. But mainly I just love Nick's writing. I don't think there would be many writers who I would trust to just take the lyrics without revising them at all and make songs out of them."Hornby, of High Fidelity and About a Boy fame, emailed Folds his ideas for lyrics. Folds would then construct the chords and melodies around Hornbys lyrics, which CNN describes as anti-rock and literary. "When I get Nick's lyrics, it can be the shape of the lyrics or the way something just rolls off the tongue that creates a melody really quickly," said Folds. "The chorus sounded like what I think Nick wanted it to sound like, which is a hit song from the '70s that we're all supposed to know, but never actually existed."The album consists of 11 tracks, including Levi Johnstons Blues, a memorable tune about Bristol Palins then-boy friend discovering he would father her child.Lonely Avenue is due out Sept. 28th on Nonesuch Records.
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