Fetch the Bolt Cutters is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Fiona Apple. It was released on April 17, 2020, Apple's first release since The Idler Wheel... in 2012. The album was recorded from 2015 to 2020, largely at Apple's home in Venice Beach. It was produced and performed by Apple alongside Amy Aileen Wood, Sebastian Steinberg and Davíd Garza; recording consisted of long, often improvised takes with unconventional percussive sounds. GarageBand was used for much of this recording, and Fiona Apple credited the album's unedited vocals and long takes to her lack of expertise with the program. Rooted in experimentation, the album largely features unconventional percussion. While conventional instruments, such as pianos and drum sets, do appear, the album also features prominent use of non-musical found objects as percussion. Apple described the result as "percussion orchestras". These industrial-like rhythms are contrasted against traditional melodies, and the upbeat songs often subvert traditional pop structures. The album explores freedom from oppression; Apple identified its core message as: "Fetch the fucking bolt cutters and get yourself out of the situation you're in". The title, a quote from TV series The Fall, reflects this idea. The album also discusses Apple's complex relationships with other women and other personal experiences, including bullying and sexual assault. It has nevertheless been referred to as Apple's most humorous album. Fetch the Bolt Cutters was released during the COVID-19 pandemic, and many critics found its exploration of confinement timely. It received significant critical acclaim, and was described as an instant classic and Apple's best work to date. The album was awarded Best Alternative Music Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, with "Shameika" winning Best Rock Performance. The album debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 and number one on the US Top Alternative Albums and Top Rock Albums, with 44,000 equivalent album units. It also charted in the top 15 in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Geez people really turned on this album didn’t they. Music still seems good to me. Weird that the current top review here knocks the lyrics for “every other word being fuck this and fuck that” when there’s… a single f-bomb across the entire album? Lots of projection going on when it comes to the content of the album; you’re telling on yourself, bro.
This is what the first month of the Covid Pandemic felt like. And it's such a fucking banger. Quite simply, it's a masterpiece. The album was released about two weeks after the pandemic started, and I'd spend days just listening to this over and over again. Fiona Apple had, of course, recorded the album months previously, yet she somehow found a way to capture exactly how everyone felt when it was released. Just everything about the album, including the cover photo featuring an insane close-up of Fiona giving it a claustrophobic feel. And the title that's an immediate call to action, suggesting a way out of your current predicament. Two years after it's release, every song from top to bottom remains a killer. My favorite song seems to change with each listen, but I have a special spot in my heart for "Newspaper", which only gets better with every repeat listen. This is Fiona Apple firmly distancing herself from every female recording artist who debuted in the '90's and basically left them in the dust. She out-Exiled Liz Phair, jagged right through Alanis, and firmly put the Fiona Apple who blasted onto the scene with "Tidal" in her rearview mirror. She's going to be elected to the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame with relatively ease. When she first hit the music scene, Fiona Apple won an MTV Video award and proceeded to tell the audience that "this world was bullshit". And people lost their ever loving shit. How dare this skinny little waif act so unappreciative and vulgar! Fiona Apple was right about the world back then, and she's still right now.
Fiona is going to go down as a national treasure in the US. I felt so strong and powerful after listening to this album that I had to revisit her earlier stuff to see if the same feeling applied. Of course, it did. Her artistic choices are so apparent in this album that her genius really shows. Loved listening to this (over and over). It deserves the Grammy's that it won and she deserved not to have to go to the show!
Ok so here we have a 52min (sigh) slab of angry gen X girl quirkiness.... only it's not 1995 anymore. Apple is almost 10 years older than me and all I can think is how immature this is. Every second word was fuck, every second lyric was something like "no, I won't shut up!" etc etc. Are men/the system/record labels/whatever really holding you down in 2020? When you can make an album of this nonsense, using garageband for the music and MS paint for the cover (ie. on a budget of whatever the electricity bill was) and then it charts worldwide? There's no way I can take this sort of shit seriously. And its Wikipedia entry is baffling - all it does is quote over-the-top gushing reviews. Who on earth could care that much about this artsy nonsense? My guess is these ridiculous reviews were written by either people who care more for her status as feminist icon than her music, or guys who had a crush on her in the late 90s. Didn't anyone in the music press think it was overly long, pretentious crap? This amateur reviewer does. 1 point because she clearly DID put some effort in (even if I don't like the result), and another because she can really sing when she gives it a crack. 2/5.
More garbage. I'm sure she can sing, but she doesn't. She talks. The production quality is embarrassing on this. Sounds like an edge junior high kid produced it, using spare OS midi sounds from Windows 98. It's chaotic in a bad a way, soup-pot of random sound-effects shaken around while trudging through a swamp. Just about a complete lack of musicianship. This feels like something parents would bring up at a wedding to embarrass their kids. "Remember when you were 13 and you thought you'd made a hit record? *everyone groans*, let's just have a listen to this masterpiece. Okay okay, that's enough."
Perfect Metacritic score rating. nuff said.
Percussion is really cool. Chill music, easy listening
This is at once her most experimental and most casual sounding record. I appreciate everything about it - especially the way she emphasizes the percussion. She lets her voice rip here in a way that she never really has before, and it stops you in your tracks. She's holding nothing back. This album captures both her intensity and her playfulness equally well. Love the message and love Fiona Apple.
Terrible and annoying vocals over an uncreative and boring instrumental. Dreadful sound quality as well and mixed very poorly. Possibly the worst album I've ever listened to
I'm not really sure how an album from 2020 is even on this list, since there's not really any way to put an album from last year into its historical context. On the other hand, this is a really cool album. It's easy to see why it struck a chord with people who were locked down and scared during the early stages of the pandemic. It's cool, weird, and well executed 4/5
7/10. Didn't like it nearly as much as Tidal. Had some strong songs, especially towards the end of the album, but other parts of it just kind of annoyed me, and the middle dragged on a bit.
Love her or hate her, it's impossible not to admire the stunning talent of Fiona Apple. She's an incredible songwriter and musically, there's no one quite like her, but the fact that she recorded Fetch the Bolt Cutters by herself at her home pushes her into another realm. How do you even classify Fiona Apple... ? I just think she is so unique, so strong and also delicate, raw and also innovative. I've been a big fan of hers since the rage of Tidal subsided. Even so, this album seems to be somewhat of a departure of the Fiona Apple that I've loved. Like this is the culmination of all of her previous albums and she has finally broken. Almost as if her previous albums were pleas for awareness. Up until FTBC she's danced around mental issues, made allusions, suggested troubles but now she's screaming, fuming with anger and lifting the thin veil that's covered it for so long. From For Her: "Good mornin' good mornin' You raped me in the same bed your daughter was born in" The beauty of Cosmonauts, only to shift into screaming the chorus at the end. And From the title track: "Fetch the Bold Cutters I've been in here too long ... I grew up in the shoes they told me I could fill and I need to run up that hill, I need to run up that hill" This is not a pleasant album to listen to. It's unhappy with broken frustration, learned helplessness and internal voices. Regardless, it's open and raw. It's hard not to imagine her pain while listening to this and it's hard to deny this a position on the 1001 albums list. Great album, hard to listen to.
Fiona sings: “Kick me under the table I won’t shut up I won’t shut up” I wish she would…
Is this a joke? she's surely making this up as she goes along. Is it supposed to be art? Avant garde? Rubbish.
I love Fiona Apple, and whilst this isn't my favourite album, it was amazing to have some new music from her after quite a period since the last one.
A real masterpiece. She doesn't release albums often but when she does they hit hard. My favorite is probably "Fetch the Bolt Cutters" but no duds on this one. The lyrics are raw and honest, the instrumentation is spare and rich. This album was built to last.
I love every minute of it. It sounds so chaotic but in a good way. Added it to my album collection. Perfect for a gathering with friends.
Like a work of art.
OOOOOOO great album. The expiramentation lends the album this off kilter, shambling kind of feel. Reminds me of a Tom Waits feeling. Relay is probably the song that grabs me the most. For Her is a heavenly blend of harmonies and rage.
I Want You To Love Me is the perfect song to open this album, I was halfway in love right from the start. Despite the obvious way she uses instruments and background noises, for me what caught my ear the most was the lyrics of the songs. Alot of very personal and emotional lyrics went into this album and I loved it! Standout songs: I Want You To Love Me, Under The Table, Heavy Balloon, For Her
[Review pending as author listened to this album, got up, opened his front door, and walked all the way to Brooklyn to offer himself at the altar of the witch coven Fiona Apple surely created through the power and majesty of this album alone]
I love that this was recorded mostly in GarageBand.
I wish I liked Fiona apple. I feel like she's like the vocal pop version of avant garde jazz. Some people just don't like or get it. I think this is a good album but I don't know that I like it that much tbh. Standouts: shameika, fetch the bolt cutters Songs I hate: relay
Hat Potential. Nervt aber kolossal. Sie bevorzugt einen erzählenden Songwriting-Stil, leider interessieren ihre Petitessen mich nicht im geringsten.
This would be a great instrumental album. Some really cool percussion sounds. Unfortunately, Fiona gets in the way and ruins it with a horrible tone and asinine lyrics.
Not good
Well... that sucked.
Every time you think “this is going to be a song” it turns out that it isn’t. This whole album just sounds like a mental breakdown.
This album sounds like a nervous breakdown Constant, crashing, warlike, eastern percussion takes over much of the album residing over dissonant tones. There is some peaceful breaks, but even then it just seems the brief time you'd spend just holding yourself trying to calm down before becoming enraged once more. Can't believe it took 6 years to record this, or that it was met with such acclaim
Personally thought this album was awful. Having known Fiona from the great song ‘Across the Universe’ I was expecting much much more. The entire album feels like a collection of C-sides, let alone B-sides, written by a moody teenager who thinks open mic nights are the be-all and end-all. Lots of grating repetition of words and phrases, with many random analogies thrown in. First album in years where I had to keep checking how many songs were left until it was over. 1/5.
Un disco que me tardé en apreciar, pero al que de repente regreso, sobre todo por algunas canciones, sobre todo las de la segunda mitad. Y pues sí, lo disfruto y me pone de buen ánimo. Sigo pensando que aunque es buen disco, todo el ruido del 2020 estaba sobredimensionado. 9/10
Me encantó,la agresividad en el piano, a en la voz y hasta en varias letras es de cierta manera muy punk sin ser punk. Además esas percusiones rudisismas a ratos que se escucha como si solo le estuvieras dando von todo a un bote de basura, muy a la slipknot.
When this album came across the generator, I hadn't listened to it in a while. I was initially excited but then worry crept in. What if this album wasn't as good as I remember? Was the hype and adoration overblown? Is this album a victim of the pandemic, where the uncertainty of everything in our lives and the abrupt upending of plans have tainted our views of various aspects of media? Well, despite all of those factors creeping in, this album remains an excellent viewpoint of Fiona Apple and what she means to us. Songs that were seen as been somewhat grating in retrospect (Shameika, Ladies, Heavy Balloon) hit even harder than before and songs that weren't given space to be remembered suddenly galloped with an intensity and fervor that sticks after it ends (Newspaper, Cosmonauts, Drumset). Is the album as good as I remember? Yes. Was the hype and adulation overblown? Yes, but it was deserved. Is it a victim of the early pandemic? For me, not anymore.
This is probably one of my favorite releases from 2020. I wasn’t really super familiar with Fiona Apple before this, but wow this album is amazing. It’s aggressive, poppy, and sonically really diverse but also almost sounds “homegrown” low-fi. Really great stuff.
A masterpiece and easily one of the best albums of the last few years
IF I COULD GIVE THIS ALBUM 1000 STARS I WOULD. This is one of my all time favourite albums. I do not need to be told to fetch the boltcutters for they are already a part of me. Every single song slaps so hard. She is truly an icon.
Just brilliant chaotic energy and relentless bops. Will always remind me of lockdown
OOOOOOOOOOOOH FUCK YES I adore this album so much, I would give it a 6 if I could, I just love the emotion and the energy of it. An absolute lifesaver during the first Covid lockdown, captured the frustration and weirdness down to a T, but also the excitement of new things coming!
I was surprised to find another Fiona Apple album appear on this list… and a very recent one that I’ve never heard of. I guess I’ve been a bit out of the loop lately as far as the latest acclaimed albums. This was a really interesting and fun album to listen to! It has a rough, arts and crafty feel that is reflected in the cover art, but is built and performed with a very high level of skill even if it is what seems like clanging and banging against a wall or the barking dogs. The lyrics are filled with clever observations and descriptions that I instantly fell in love with. This really seems like the perfect thing to emerge amidst the chaos of the pandemic. The jaunty feel of the album juxtaposes with its serious and at times seriously dark subjects. A genuinely quirky and unique album that I found to be very special!
Complicated, funny, intimate, weird. I love it.
I didn't know anything about this album. The beginning of the first track really drew me in and the album kept my attention until the end. Some awesome piano and intriguing melodies for my ears! Now, occasionally, including in the end of the first track, it all became too intense or dissonant for me. Fortunately, these moments were isolated enough to not completely distort my listening experience...but this won't be one to add to my music-to-work-by list.
This was brand new to me and it made me go "wow" so many times as I first listened to it: her distinctive voice, the percussion, the piano, the dogs, and the really really interesting lyrics. Wow wow wow. A few times I had to rewind and listen again since it begged constant careful listening. Just blew me away, and what an exciting feeling that was!
Very good. Jazz like in some sections, experimental in others. Fun listen.
There are two directions musicians can go in the modern era: Experiment, or solidify tradition. Fiona manages to do both in this awesome album.
I absolutely see why this got so much hype a few years ago. It is hard to make something that is so artsy while also sounding genuine, but this album seems to have come from the heart more than the mind. The fun rhythms, stripped and raw production, great vocals, catchy melodies; it was all here for me, and I LOVE it. I already know this will be on regular rotation for me.
ooh
I thought I had listened to all of Fiona's records. Apparently I hadn't. And I'm glad I was introduced to this one.
FIONA YOU BEAUTY I LOVE YOU
One of this decades early seminal pieces. Speaking of pieces Apple gives us slices of her throughout this. One to listen to in the early part of this decade.
Oh man this was KICKASS! The lyrics are so emotionally vulnerable and heartfelt. Felt those words to my core. The title track will be my new mantra. I'm in love.
Simply incredible
amei. ela sempre canta o que eu n tava esperando ouvir
I could have never imagined to like somthing so recent this much
5/5 ladies ladies
Perhaps THE lockdown art
Upea levy.
Amazing stuff. Meant to listen to this when it hit and was getting widespread critical acclaim. This doesn’t sound like anything else. Has the charm of a homemade album (done in GarageBand) but has the precision and intent most studio albums can’t match.
I was shocked by how good this album is. What incredible writing. I saw her open for Page/Plant at the Gorge in George, WA. I found her to be an extremely talented musician but was really taken with the songs themselves. Never really listened to her after that. But this! Wow. Amazing song writing, amazing musicianship, amazing poetry. I will go back and listen to her older stuff again.
That was a clinic on neo-percussion. I loved the raw joy and pathos exemplified in most every track, flecked by subtle humour. There’s so much to listen to - I need to listen again and I’ve already listened 3x.
I love this record. I generally like her stuff, but this had a great edge to already great songs.
i love her sm
TE AMO FIONA APPLE
Only got halfway through the album would like to revisit later pretty good so far.I really like the modern sound.It’s folky but kinda catchy.The weird drums are really cool.I love her voice it’s so expressive and the lyrics are pretty heartfelt.
Scrolling through the reviews, people giving this 1 star seem to be mostly bell ends, or under this mad self-hate craze they've got running riot in the states. Or maybe they want all their music to have 'perfect' production with all the edges knocked off and unadventurous. Which is a valid choice for some. Sure it's not for you, nothing is for everyone, 1 star should be reserved for the truly bad, 2 stars for me when I just don't like something but can see why others would. That said I can understand why this album would be polarising. Newspaper, For Her, the title track. But if an album is polarising opinion, that can be a sign of something truly special. I remember the reaction when it came out, universal praise, Pitchfork's fabled full 100 score, that kind of thing and wondered if people were going overboard. I think they probably were, but just a little, this is a great album. I think I prefer the idler wheel, and I was never a fan of her 90s stuff, so I'm far happier when she's experimental. Regardless, I'm obviously going to add a star and give this a 5 just to undo one of those 1s that should be a 2. Faves - Fetch the Boltcutters, I Want You to Love Me, Rack of His, Cosmonauts
Kick me under the table all you want, I won't shut up about this album. It's sprawling, adventurous, playful, and expertly produced, with a domestic feeling that's miles away from the all-too-neat sounds of mainstream pop these days. It's experimental yet extremely catchy at the same time (See "Cosmonaut"'s chorus for one example of such "catchiness"). The lyrics are very "topical" most of the time but they're never on the nose, an asset that is mirrored in the performances themselves. Fiona Apple is a virtuoso on the piano and an incredible singer. But she also left many supposed "flaws" apparent during the recording process, along with off-kilter moments that make the whole thing sound sincere and very endearing. My only (minor) complaint is that the album is maybe *a little* too long. A more reasonable amount of self-editing, like taking out a couple of songs out of the record's tracklisting, would have created an even stronger *whole* overall (that's where Pitchfork's perfect 10 grade might be somewhat exaggerated imho). But as I've already suggested at the start of this paragraph, this is only a "minor" complaint. My own assessment can be summed up through a 4.5/5 grade here, rounded up to 5 for the usual purposes of this app. It's not often than a *recent* record in this list actually deserves all the praise. Shameika said Fiona had "potential", after all. Damn was she right about that! Number of albums left to review or just listen to: less than 700, I've temporarily lost count here Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: approximately a half so far (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: a quarter Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): the last quarter
It feels almost sacrilegious to rate something so new so highly, especially after refusing several classics of that honor. But the immediacy of this album warrants it. A stunning listen from the get-go, but an album that has also grown on repeated listens. Beautifully written and composed. I don't think I could tire of this one.
Already my favourite album of the 2020s
OH MY GOD yesterday I decided to start listening to Fiona Apple because why not? I heard her album Extraordinary Machine which buh-lew my fucking mind after I heard it, I was telling my friend about how much I loved it and he said I should listen to her new album Fetch The Bolt Cutters this morning, I generated my new album and somehow I got this I probably have another 700 albums left on this thing and the fact I got this out of any possible album is just fucking crazy anyway, I really can’t put into words how amazing both of the albums I’ve heard from her are they’re just so amazing in literally every field of musicianship this album is too good to rate
The percussion and piano on this album are constantly interesting and make the album a 5/5 for me. Favorite Tracks: Under the Table, Shameika, Heavy Balloon.
Duh
This is the second Fiona Apple album that I've gotten on this list, and just like 'Tidal,' I really enjoyed this album as well. I had just gotten PJ Harvey's 'Rid of Me' on the previous day, and I felt like it was a beautiful coincidence to get 'Fetch the Bolt Cutters' immediately afterwards. I love that the lyrics had a theme of detachment to them, but each song still felt like it addressed that detachment in a different way. Fiona Apple's vocals are always so raw, yet she conveys so much emotion through her singing. I loved the instrumentation on this album was brilliant as well. I've heard "Criminal" so many times throughout my life, that I always think of Fiona Apple as a pianist, but she really breaks away from that here with all of the different percussion she was using. The three track run of "Newspaper," "Ladies," and "Heavy Balloon" might be one of my favorite trio of consecutive songs ever, and I really thought the last half of the album was incredibly strong.
omg loved!
Fiona Apple has been angry all her life — and why shouldn’t she? as a woman whose mind and body have been exploited in an industry that’s constructed a wild game without informing her of the rules — but never has her anger sounded so assuredly stubborn and liberating as it does on her grand masterpiece, Fetch The Bolt Cutters. this is music unrestrained by the very constructs expected from music itself, and — in extension — from women. it is messy and wackily edited, and it is deliriously free. every word is a searing swiss blade; every surface is a percussive instrument Apple strikes right after her words do; and no subject is safe from her ruminations. in one fell swoop, Apple begs for love and affection (“I Want You to Love Me”), and then critiques an ex for sexually assaulting her (“For Her”). it is a brutal listen, one in which Apple sets the world around her ablaze — the sly, toxic men; the nasty high school bullies; the clout-chasing wannabes — and then holds out her hand for solidarity to the others who manage to survive the forest fire. on songs like “Newspaper” and “Ladies”, she seeks to protect the women who have been equally maltreated by men; she sings high praises to the one person in school who defended her on “Shameika”, while showing off the person she’s become in the face of mean girls. in its rawness, Fetch the Bolt Cutters truly soars. Apple had come far from the days of Tidal, where a girl and her piano made a way with her words. here, Apple spews those words with venom, and you can hear in her voice, the veins lifting on her temples and neck; you can hear the tears in her eyes and blood dripping down her nose. she flips the piano and stomps on it to make a beat. only Fiona Apple could’ve made this album, and goodness, what a phenomena it turned out to be.
Oh, the absolute masterpeice! The first album we've tested on our B&W stereosystem. So many sounds in perfectly organized harmony! Fiona scares me with her talent
I Want You To Love Me- Could’ve done without the last part, but other than that pretty catchy 👍 Shameika- Funny how small moments can become defining moments in your life..👍 Fetch the bolt cutters- this is a bit too on the nose for me and isnt that sonically interesting. nice doggos tho Under the table- wish I could speak out a bit more 👍 Relay- I like this song a lot, but not really sure about the repeated line, i feel like it doesn’t mean much really Rack of his- I think the metaphor is really clever here, enjoyed this song overall 👍 Newspaper- I like the harmonies, but again a bit literal for me again and not a strong melody Ladies- A more chill song following the last one, a little meandering for me and i would say slightly condescending Heavy Balloon- So good, i love the vocals on this one 👍 Cosmonauts- One of the instantly catchier tracks 👍 For Her- Bit too chaotic for me Drumset- Quite repetitive, feels like a bit of throwaway On I Go- very percussion heavy, pretty good ending to the album 👍 I heard about the acclaim for this album back when it was released but never checked it out. It feels very 2020, but still holds up and I really appreciate it 5/5
I was blown away but this album. Very original songs and such a raw vocal performance
This album was likely the best of 2020. Recorded mostly at Fiona Apple’s home in Los Angeles, it has a raw organic quality to it. The use of found sounds lends an almost dada like ramshackle foundation from which the music can find its basis. This produces a set of sounds that seem to appear spontaneously without the trappings of a studio production.
A really interesting album. Love the live percussion, love the understated passion. My lockdown album of choice.
Fiona Apple makes good records. This is one is endlessly unique -- challenging and catchy at the same time.
One of the stand out albums of the last couple of years, definitely deserves its place on the list. Is it a masterpiece only time will tell, but for now it feels harsh not to give this the full 5 stars.
Incredible
I love her endlessly. this is such a good album
This is a fantastic album, but it's surprising to see something so recent on a list like this. I've listened to it several times since it came out, but still feel like I'm digesting it! Fiona Apple must be one of the most consistently great singer/songwriters working today.
Wow. I LOVE this album!! As a Fiona fan in my teens, I was pretty excited to see this pop up, and didn’t even know it existed. Her voice is so original and the way she uses words, breaking them down to the tempo, with lots of repeating, is totally entrancing. I’m pretty sure the wiki on this album is also the best I’ve ever read-super random, fun facts, like the credits to her dogs barking on a track, the fact the the whole album was recorded through the GarageBand App, to the details of her Grammy nomination (and how she snubbed it) actually makes the album that much more interesting! I even love her album cover and how she saved the pic for years to use on a cover one day. Fiona Apple is a goddess!!! Listen again: definitely Purchase for my collection: yes Favourite Song: For Her
love this album
For some reason I was really pulled in by this album and can’t wait to listen to it again. Raw but polished, honest but kind. Such a genre spanning sound, I will even recommend this to my husband and we don’t like the same music at all.
A shining star from one of the great musicians of all time
An album like no other. This really helped me through a tough part of my life. I'm thankful for that. I totally called it as the album of the year in 2020. Super happy to revisit this after a fairly long stint since my last time.
This album is amazing, a genuine accomplishment. For Her is a particular triumph. Wow. I'm blown away.
I remember trying to get into this album when it came out due to so many positive reviews from every website/critic but I just couldn't properly appreciate it. On this listen I think I've wrapped by head around the clangy production, and where the album really is interesting is the song topics that Fiona chooses. In addition her vocal delivery on each song is so quirky and unpredictable it keeps it fresh the whole way through. 9/10
Best kind of pop
I've always liked Fiona Apple but not heard a full album - glad to have changed that here, it's phenomenal.
musically so GOOD and her voice has such a bold rasp. i'm in love. sort of regina spektor-ish in the honky tonk piano and the jarring cooing
consider this an apology for rating her debut only a 4.
Uau, impressionante. Corajoso, cheio de energia e personalidade
LP
If you imagine one of the really great Tom Waits albums, say, Swordfishtrombones, but a female singer, and the focus is less on Lynchian dwarves and hobos, and more on the intimate moments of daily life that feel just as big, then you'll have a vague sense of how brilliant this album is. I did not realise Fiona Apple was like this, and now regret not having sat down with one of her albums sooner. I will be buying this, and soon.
Cunt
Forgot a few of these songs and how much I like them
a combination of engrossing, forceful and endlessly inventive percussion, beautiful and heart wrenching lyricism, and a gorgeous, insanely expressive vocal performance. it didn't hit me quite right on my first listen when it came out, but from then on it's just grown on me more and more; on every listen it just opens up more and more.