Whatever and Ever Amen begins with the impossibly rowdy piano pop of “One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces,” and announces the second Ben Folds Five record like a smack in the face. “Brick” packs an emotional punch, detailing Folds’ high school girlfriend’s abortion over delicate, pensive progressions, and “Song for the Dumped” ups the energy with its punk sneer. “Evaporated” closes the curtain with Folds’ existential malaise at the forefront, his voice supported by poignant instrumentation accentuated with dramatic strings.