Unlike Miss Apple's fans, I have not been waiting 8 years for new music. I liked some of "Tidal," a few songs from the "When The Pawn With The Thing Found A Thing On The Place.." album, especially "Limp," and thought she finally nailed it with "Extraordinary Machine," my favorite of the lot. But I still wouldn't call myself a fan of Fiona Apple. The drama turned me off.
But now, the "masterpiece" that "we all need right now" has been unleashed. Before I could come up with some heavy duty sarcasm about the whole event, I get a call from my pal Al who asks, "What do you think of the new Fiona Apple? What's all the fuss?"
I guess it was time to listen.
It's pretty damn good. It tries way too hard, but it's pretty damn good and not at all what I thought it was going to be.
Underneath the frenetic rhythms and oddball percussion, the stream of consciousness singing and non-singing, and of course, the barking dogs, there is music, some of which I found truly wonderful and even a bit hooky.
I'm glad I waited and even happier that I had no expectations because I thoroughly enjoyed "Fetch The Bolt Cutters," even if some of it gave me the twitch. Get rid of about 15 minutes, and "Fetch The Bolt Cutters" is a solid 38 minutes of fresh sounds, interesting rhythms and even a few really hummable melodies. Next spin, I'll pay more attention to what Miss Apple is singing about. Who knows? That could make or break it for me. But first pass kept me incredibly entertained.
I am looking forward to going back in, and that is something I don't feel very often.
3 comments:
I'm with you on the "Pretty Damn Good" front.
I read all these breathless ten star reviews and then couldn't figure out what I was missing. Over time it has grown on me -- but to the "pretty Damn Good" score ...
While the album is a collection of songs the component pieces don't stand out as such. Listening and wondering made me realize my need for tune / story / engagement / .... Just another old man searching for that perfect three minute pop song.
I'm glad I've got it. I'm glad I listen to it. And I'm glad you agree with me that say it ain't a masterpiece.
These 3 songs sounded pretty good. I have to admit I've stayed away from listening to her albums because the couple of songs I had heard didn't grab me.
Thanks for sharing!
Same EXACT reaction! I like it a lot more than i thought I would, while at the same time issuing a "ok, calm down, everyone".
But it's really good record. I've been listening to it a lot.
Post a Comment