SOUNDTRACK: FIONA APPLE-When the Pawn… (1999).
I learned about Fiona Apple from CMJ New Music Monthly before her debut came out. I was convinced she was just another pretty thing with little talent. But then I heard “Shadowboxer” and I was really impressed by the depth of her voice. When I got the album, I was pretty much blown away.
When When the Pawn came out it was mocked for its absurdly long title. (Even Janine Garofalo got in on the mocking, for which, shame on her because even if Fiona made some bad decisions, she was still a young woman who was fighting for the causes of good).
But looking beyond the title, For When the Pawn, shows Fiona’s voice getting stronger and more subtle, and her songwriting is truly amazing. She used the assistance of Jon Brion, multi-instrumentalist and all around dabbler in fun sounds. And he creates a soundscape of weird instruments, crazy sounds and an enveloping sounds that keep the album an item unto itself.
I haven’t listened to the disc in quite a while, but playing it again, i was impressed by the audacity of some of the musical choices, especially for a “pretty young thing” with a successful (and disturbing) video on the charts (“Criminal“).
The crazy noises that start off the disc (carnival-like keyboards, electronic squeals) sound a mile away from the jazzy sounds of “Shadowboxer” but Fiona’s voice comes in and you know that she’s still her, and her voice sounds even richer. There’s a wild disconnect on “To Your Love” with the delicate vibes (!) that fill the bridge and the rough sounds in the chorus (not to mention the crazy wordplay: “My derring-do allows me to dance the rigadoon Around you But by the time I’m close to you, I lose my desideratum and now you”‘). And then “Limp,” an amazing musical concoction: more delicate jazzy openings followed by a raucous chorus with the wonderful put down: “So call me crazy, hold me down / Make me cry; get off now, baby- / It wont be long till you’ll be / Lying limp in your own hand.”
And that’s just the first three songs. The rest of the disc sways between mellow jazzy numbers, beautiful ballads, and rocking scorchers, but it is always fueled by a dissonance that counters Apple’s voice perfectly.
Another can’t miss track is “Fast as You Can,” a wonderfully propelled track that bounces along jauntily until it hits an amazingly fast syncopated chorus. And the production is so clean, the drum clap before the bridge is striking. The disc ends with a couple of delicate songs. “Get Gone” is delightful jazzy song (complete with brushed drums). It remains pretty mellow until Fiona breaks from a pause with a brutal “fucking go!” And finally, the delicate ending of “I Know” brings the disc to a close.
Ten years later, this disc is still a gem. One can only hope it gets rediscovered so a new legion of fans can enjoy its masterful music. And for the full title of the disc, check the bottom the post….
[READ: October 16, 2009] “Fictional Futures and the Conspicuously Young”
This article opens with a note that Evan Martin found this article but noticed that it wasn’t online. It was mentioned in Steven Moore’s essay “The First Draft Version of Infinite Jest.” So he retyped it and it is now hosted on theknowe.net. Here’s the write-up & link from The Howling Fantods:
“Fictional Futures and the Conspicuously Young”. The Review of Contemporary Fiction Vol. 8, No. 3, 1988. [NOTES: Read it here.]
This is a fascinating article in which DFW looks at the state of fiction circa 1987. Specifically, he is responding to criticisms that the popular authors of the day, collectively Conspicuously Young, all fall into three very basic and uninspired cliche-filled boxes:
- Neiman-Marcus Nihilism
- Catatonic Realism
- Workshop Hermeticism (more…)
SOUNDTRACK: JILL SOBULE-Underdog Victorious (2004).
After ordering California Years, I saw that she had released this disc, Underdog Victorious, which I had never heard of. Then I found it used for pretty cheap. The most exciting thing about the disc is that there’s a crossword puzzle (that is largely about Jill herself) done by Will Shortz on the inside back cover!
SOUNDTRACK: DANKO JONES-Never Too Loud (2008).
Danko Jones is a hard and fast rock band, with a one track mind and a straightforward sound. They deal in excessive cliches (album titles include: Sleep is the Enemy, We Sweat Blood, Never Too Loud, etc) and play mostly short songs. And despite all that apparent negativity, I enjoy them beyond reason.
SOUNDTRACK: JILL SOBULE-California Years (2009).
So Jill Sobule had the first hit single called “I Kissed a Girl” (that was sung by a woman). And it was sort of a novelty hit, which is the kiss of death for any songwriter. After most people forgot about her, I followed her career for a while. And I found her follow up to “I Kissed a Girl,” Happy Town, to be a superb album and the follow up to that one, Pink Pearl ,was also really good. And then she fell off my radar.
You get 
And then there’s news about ALA, the organization (like their endorsement of the Public option in the Health Care debate). As the news items continue there’s a lot of items for librarians, but there’ also a lot of news about books and media in general. So, here we learn that J.D. Salinger won his lawsuit against Frederick Colting who wrote an unauthroized sequel to Catcher in the Rye. 
SOUNDTRACK: THE TREWS-House of Ill Fame (2003).
After listening to the new Trews disc, I popped in their first disc. Mostly because I thought their first one sounded rawer. And it does.
SOUNDTRACK: THE TREWS-No Time for Later (2008).
I was surprised by this disc. The cover is mildly shocking, but more just tasteless (and one that I won’t leave lying around), but it’s mostly shocking because it is so inappropriate for the music contained within. The music is such basic rock and roll–the kind that I didn’t think anyone made anymore. It’s almost retro in its boogie woogie Black Crows style of rock.
SOUNDTRACK: MY MORNING JACKET-Acoustic Citsuoca (2004).
There was a lot of fanfare when this EP was re-released recently (at least I think it was re-released; there was a lot of fanfare about it recently whatever the case). This is a live acoustic performance which features 5 songs from MMJ’s earlier recordings.
SOUNDTRACK: NEKO CASE-Middle Cyclone (2009).
I first learned of Neko Case through The New Pornographers. Their song “
SOUNDTRACK: FEIST-Let It Die (2004).
I’ve recently discovered Feist through Broken Social Scene. I know that she is huge (and “1,2,3,4” is a really great song that we used for our son’s 4th birthday video), but it took me a while to catch on.
It’s seductive and very pretty. In many ways the disc reminds me of Fiona Apple (although I think Fiona has a stronger more interesting voice and a better selection of background instrumentation).
Amelia tries to make friends in the new neighborhood. And the boys she hangs out with are Reggie (whose goal is to become a superhero) and Pajamaman (the one unrealistic character in the story, although he does achieve more depth than just the “weirdo who wears pajamas all the time” as the comic continues). Amelia also gains a nemesis, Rhonda, who has a thing for Reggie but who is generally too cranky to do anything but snark about everything). 
I Just Read About That... 