Ben Folds (centre) and band. (File)

Ben Folds is a man of sound mind these days. At least slightly.

"I'm not nearly as much of a controlling jackass," cracks the Nashville-based singer-pianist. "Not that I was ever really that bad. But personally, I've relaxed a lot over the years."

That kinder, gentler nature came in handy recently when the 45-year-old musician finally resurrected his long-dormant trio The Ben Folds Five.

Some 13 years after Folds, drummer Darren Jessee and bassist Robert Sledge released their third album The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, the beloved '90s indie-popsters are back with the even-wordier followup The Sound of the Life of the Mind. Something else that's back in spades: Their signature fusion of Folds' articulate wit and Tin Pan Alley piano-pop with Jessee and Sledge's raw indie-rock power and propulsion.

Before taking his BFF back out on the road, Folds called up to discuss artistic types, being skillfully reckless and feeling like an heirloom tomato.

You're a guy who's known for moving forward. What made you want to turn around and revisit this?

Well . um . I don't know! What I want to say, I guess, is that making the record was one of most forward-stepping things I've done. That's what it feels like, anyway. I guess I could probably back that up somehow. If you take the three records we made, it's not like we were ever standing still at all. For the era we were in, it was pretty radical what we were doing and how quickly we were moving. And when we went back in, it would have been so easy to just relive the magic. But the record itself is very forward. Our approach in the studio and the way we looked at it, the way the songs were put together and the way we related, all that was pretty damn new for me. I can't speak about the results, but it felt like we were going forward.

Why does it feel new? How have those dynamics changed?

Well, we all got some rest. When we were playing together, it was very lucrative to stay together 24 hours a day and work, work, work. And we got really sick of it. But now it just feels like everyone's grown up a bit. That's the main thing that strikes me. We're all artists and we have artist mentalities. That's something I've come to realize in the last year or two: That's my mindset. I've always tried to not be like that. It's the way I grew up. I don't admire someone who is flighty and not practical and emotional and all that. But after a while I went, 'That's what I am. That's what I do.' And Rob and Darren are just like that. They're not machine-like musicians - they're crazy, artistic musicians. And since we all know that now, we just relax and laugh about stuff.

The record has a real live, rough 'n' tumble feel coupled with very intricate elements. How did you combine those?

Yeah, it's a beast. There's an element of it that's effortless, with no second guessing. And there's an element that is very considered and arranged. And those two things are really difficult to put together. It's very easy to get lost in the weeds. You have to stay balanced. For example, you might hit something absolutely f---ing insane on the second take. And you know there's issues with it, but you decide not to fix them because it will change the story. So it was crazy, crazy, crazy and then careful consideration. There are background vocals on some things that took all day. They don't sound like it, and we don't want it to sound like it. But if you know anything about voices and how stuff is put together and what everything is doing, it's pretty f---ing full on. So, you have a fairly reckless record that is skillfully reckless. It's not something I hear people doing too much.

How is the new material working in a live setting?

It sounds huge, for just three people. There's a lot of sound that comes out of that band. I'd actually forgot how much. And I think we might actually sound bigger and more considerable than we did back in the day. Maybe it's my memory. But I think we're suddenly sounding twice as big.

Was playing together again like getting back up on the bike, or were you rusty?

Nah, we just did it. We all cut our teeth together musically. Going from

amateurs to professionals all happened together. So we have a sound. And

the cool thing is that bands with a sound are rare. They always have been, but they're even more rare now. It's actually kind of frowned upon in a way, because having a sound means you're different and people don't work toward that anymore. But we're old-school. It's kind of like they thawed us out up at the North Pole. We're like heirloom tomatoes.

Is this a victory lap or a new beginning or what?

I'm thinking pretty pragmatically about it. We've done this very carefully one step at a time, without committing to the next step until we know it's something that we want to do and enjoy. We plan to play until the end of 2013, because I have orchestral work that starts in 2014 and goes for the whole year. That's our understanding right now.

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