Fiona Apple
Psst… Some random person on the street pulled me aside and let me listen to the still unreleased Fiona Apple CD Extraordinary Machine. And I have to say: it’s fantastic. The ominous violins and cellos of opener “Not About Love” draw you in and the rest of the tracks never really let up. It’s everything that pop music really should be: colorfully arranged, playful, and passionate. It may be a little light on soaring hooks, but that’s just not her style.
The album is bookended (well, almost) by 2 drum-less and densely orchestrated (as in real orchestral instruments) tunes. The aforementioned “Not About Love” and the initially leaked-track, “Extraordinary Machine,” which evokes the giddiness of hearing Bjork’s “It’s Oh so Quiet” for the first time. In between lies a set of blues romps, sullen pop, and lots of creative music.
Maybe it’s the central role played by Apple’s piano on nearly every track, but the CD is surprisingly coherent. The sultry and scary “Red, Red, Red” should be the theme for the next James Bond film. “Window” has one of the album’s most catchy verse hooks, which quickly modulates into a deliciously angry chorus. “Used to Love Him” grabs you attention with the jarring: “so why did I kiss him so hard, late last Friday night?” The atonal instrumental sections may alienate some listeners, but like others here this song remains a blues at its core.
True to its pop intentions, drums and vocals dominate the mixes; but just below the foreground is a colorful world of strings, detuned pianos, and creatively-used acoustic instruments, courtesy of master producer Jon Brion. And herein lies the beauty (and, presumably, the controversy) of Extraordinary Machine.
The rumors are that Apple’s label Epic refused to release the CD because it was not marketable and lacked a clear single. It’s Wilco all over again, but without the Diet Cokes and the puking.
Granted, Extraordinary Machine might surprise some mainstream pop radio listeners, but this is clearly not a CD of John Cage cover songs. For that matter, it’s not even risky on the level of Radiohead’s Kid A.
As for the singles: sure, there’s no “Hey Yeah” here, but when has that stopped a major label release. For my money, “Not About Love” would be the most refreshing single in years, with its intricately arranged strings and effective use of space. There are no drums here, but Apple’s vocals are simultaneously passionate and playful - a dangerous commercial mix.
The music industry cynic among us should be asking whether the whole controversy is guerilla marketing on the part of the label. If running a major label is exclusively about selling product, then it’s not inconceivable that the public reputations of a few label execs would be martyred for the cause of profits. I mean, how much more tarnished can the labels look in the eyes of the music consumer? Somewhere there’s a publicist preparing the press release for the eventual release of the CD and “the courageous label executive who fought for this CDs release.” Brilliant.
But this is all rumor. As Sasha Frere Jones points out, “Having seen Fiona’s capability for unchecked self-expression, don’t you think she’d have something to say if her album was really getting the Wilco?” Maybe we’re all just a little too excited to find another juicy controversy in pop music.