Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine

antifyre

I have never been a Fiona Apple fan……know who she is, but never jumped on that particular indie train in, what seems, all those years ago. In a sea of female baladeering, she was another wave of young blood, who had the single, made the MTV VMA appearance, and then disappeared….

Apple has released only two albums since Tidal in 1996 (the other ‘When the Pawn….’ in 1999, was purposely obscure and dense).The 28 year-old was due to have this record released for some time. But with what seems like conspiracy theories gone amuck, her Label EPIC/ her producers/ even herself may be responsible for, it was held off from release. Demos were leaked, her rabid fan base gulping them down, and launching a now obligatory Internet campaign to have it published; improved (only two of the tracks on the leaked demos appear here) and un-commercial, and revelling in it.

An album that works to be open and welcoming, as well as treating the listener with maturity in asking them to catch the initial rifts in the songs and listen to the rest of the piece as well, is unfortunately rare….but Apple has turned in a work with some really excellent melodies/ vocal line flowing around a base of experiment, not dissimilar to some of Tom Waits lighter current work.

The opening of the Title track, ‘Extraordinary Machine’, all Irving Berlin / Merry Melody tune and singing with some clever running imagery, places you in strange, if almost sing-a-long territory. Follow up ‘Get him Back’ drags you back to this century with a piano that chugs through a different kind of jazz, as the history of her relationship disappointments smacks you with its urgency, and honesty……’But the last one I had who was getting my hopes up/I might've been a little fast to dismiss/I think he let me down, when he didn't disappoint me/He didn't always guess right, but he usually got my gist’

The single, ‘O Sailor’, as with ‘Oh Well’ and ‘Please, please, please’ have enough in the song structure to bring you back again for the Albums darker, more satisfying corners; each song revealing its true centre only with repeated listening. But it’s on track six ‘Parting Gift, with the opening salvo of ‘I opened my eyes/While you were kissing me once more than once/And you looked as sincere as a dog/Just as sincere as a dog does, /When it's the food on your lips with which it's in love’ that really lets her songwriting come through.The now-common piano-only backing holding up something that could be an old jazz standard, if you didn’t know better.

This album is like someone, usually very quiet in the back of class, asking you out for a date and showing you their scrapbook. A scrapbook so rich, you bring it home, even if it takes you a while to figure out what your’e looking at. Extraordinary indeed.

4/5

Basq

Excellent review antifyre!...

... these are the type of reviews i like to see round here!

antifyre

Cheers Basquille.....Really like the idea of the thread.

A case of 'Always wanted to, never got a chance to'..... Going to try and get one down every week.I'm sure there are tonnes of 'closet' reviewers in these hallowed digital pages that would love a chance to stretch their word muscles...;)

Andy-Pandy

Ive been a fan of her music for years, I think she rocks and was waiting in anticipation for this album. I was very happy that it turned out to be very good indeed. Great review btw.