|
Post by Sarah on Dec 5, 2005 0:14:01 GMT
I just listened to the new Fiona Apple album "Extraordinary Machine" again and its very good. Better than I first thought. Lyrically it is sharp and it seems honest. The melodies which at first I found too jazzy and rambling started to gel and i got into the groove of the thing more. My favourite tracks thusfar are "Oh Sailor", "Please please please", "Get him back" and "Extraordinary Machine".
There was something that irritated me about Fiona first time around. I didn't care for "When the pawn..." I found it pretentious (the title put me off right from the start) and unfocused. But I think I'll give it another listen now. Also, it kind of irritated me that I knew too much about her life before I'd even heard her music. I'd read that she'd survived a childhood rape, and although I sympathised I wondered whether this was being used to blackmail the listener into TAKING HER SERIOUSLY...I had the same problem with Tori Amos's "Me and a gun". But I guess it is my problem...
I downloaded "sleep to dream" and "shadowboxer" from her first album...didn't blow me away...I'm thinking this third album is gonna remain my favourite.
|
|
|
Post by Sarah on Dec 5, 2005 15:43:30 GMT
Part of her biography from Wikipedia:
"After a series of fiery public appearances, Apple's public image began to suffer in some circles. Most notoriously, while accepting an MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist Video of 1997 ("Sleep To Dream"), she proclaimed "This world is bullshit, and you shouldn't model your life on what you think that we think is cool, and what we're wearing and what we're saying.." in which she refers to the image-driven MTV/music industry, and closed quoting Maya Angelou: "Go with yourself." Though her comments were generally greeted with cheers and applause at the awards ceremony, the media backlash was immediate; host Chris Rock made a derisive comment about her speech, which only added to the backlash. Some considered her remarks hypocritical, seeing a contradiction between her appearance in a risque music video in only her underwear, and her telling young women to ignore celebrity culture. She was unapologetic, however: "When I have something to say, I'll f****n' well say it."
Jeanane Garafolo's spoof of the MTV speech:
"This world is bullshit. And just because I appear in music video wherein I am in my underwear, and make young women feel not good enough so that they become anorxeic; and okay, maybe because of that I became popular more quickly than other singers who are, I don't know, maybe more talented or better songwriters. That doesn't matter because, and...um...my boyfriend is a magician, and he can pull a quarter out of your ear and say things like 'We have not met before have we?' Go with yourself."
|
|
Kao
Junior Member
Posts: 36
|
Post by Kao on Dec 5, 2005 19:19:05 GMT
"Extraordinary Machine" is an amazing album. The lyrics are honest, poetic, and witty. I think is easily one of the greatest albums of 2005.
|
|