Fetch The Bolt Cutters

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.

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!

Perfect Metacritic score rating. nuff said.

[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]

Percussion is really cool. Chill music, easy listening

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."

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.

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

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

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

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.

Is this a joke? she's surely making this up as she goes along. Is it supposed to be art? Avant garde? Rubbish.

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!

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

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.

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.

Like a work of art.

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.

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 that this was recorded mostly in GarageBand.

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.

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.

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.

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

Fiona sings: “Kick me under the table I won’t shut up I won’t shut up” I wish she would…

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.

Had given this a listen previously as a result of it being consistently high on best of 2020 lists. Throws a couple of pretty heavy lyrical punches throughout and features some incredibly impressive vocal range, phrasing and delivery. Opening track intro sounds like My Dick by Mickey Avalon which I can almost 100% guarantee was not the intention based on the themes across the album.

This surprised me a lot and found myself enjoying this way more than expected. My favorite was “Shameika”

The most recent release of legendary Singer-Songwriter and Art Pop icon Fiona Apple who stayed a welcome presence in both mainstream and with the critics since her debut in 1996 and became even more talked about since her sophomore record "When the Pawn" which to this day is viewed as her most extravagant album. With this 2020 Art Pop album which features influences from Piano and Experimental Rock as well as R&B and Cabaret to create a one of a kind release that sounds very "home made" but still with a lot of quality in the experimentation and songwriting. It features a lot of non-musical percussion, effects and even some dogs that add further to the well made weirdness of the album which the cover art already hints to. The opening track 'I Want You to Love Me' starts with a weird percussion intro before moving to a very beautiful piano that takes influence from both Jazz and Blues. Both the vocals and songwriting again feels very much inspired by typical Jazz standards but with much more Pop and Rock focus and a lot of additude in the vocals. I think the experimentation and the things she sometimes does with her vocals is adding a lot to the enjoyment but overall I feel like the song came out duller than it could've. It definitely has qualities but something is holding it back from being more than just good. On 'Shameika' she goes more into Cabaret & Jazz vocal delivery which does result in some very interesting moments and a staggering performance throughout. It often switches between building tension and going absolutely manic with the instruments that just do everything while obviously sticking together in the chaos. But after some time, it does get a bit repetative because it does the same "crazy" again without seriously changing it which does result in it not feeling fully tied together in itself. Overall, this is an okay track but again, the potential is there for much more than that. With the title track 'Fetch the Bolt Cutters' it not only gets more Jazz but also more Experimental with a mix of Musique concrète, Animal Sounds from dogs & Spoken Word passages. It's without a doubt a very, very weird song that seems to be all over the place but I personally think that it makes it so much more interesting than previous songs. The hook is incredibly catchy and the instrumental passages are more intriguing as well. It's both psychedelic and undefinable but also catchy enough to sound great the entire time. 'Under the Table' returns to the Cabaret vocal delivery but also does a pretty nice mix of production choices that complement the songwriting very well that finalises in a nice chorus that repeats a lot but never too much. The bridge with the crazy mix also has its interesting moments. It's a good song, pretty good. The Blues vocals on 'Relay' give the track a very groovy and classic feel that is mixed with a Experimental Pop Rock production. The result is sounds a lot like some Experimental R&B from the 60's mixed with modern times. It's interesting and groovy throughout the whole track with the vocals carrying most of it. I think it's done very well in terms of songwriting and the song's great even if the outro wasn't needed at all. The Jazz, R&B and Soul influences don't stop on 'Rack of His' but again, it's implemented in an Experimental and weird setting. I think that on paper this is a great song: the vocals are incredible, the production is done well including some very, very interesting percussion but there's just something there that makes the song feel a bit basic in full. It's still a good song but it could've been much better. The weird combination of R&B vocals and Industrial production sounds like it shouldn't work but somehow it does. It isn't the craziest by any means but it has something that makes me stay interested with it much longer than I thought I would. It's still streched a little bit too much to be fully enjoyable but it is a pretty solid track with some very outstanding parts that are sadly buried a bit in the length of the track as well as a certain repetition in the songwriting. 'Ladies' is a more standard Jazz Pop track with influences from Soul & Brill Building while still being obviously Pop. It also focuses a lot on more sentimental Piano melodies that the vocals are added on top. My biggest problem isn't the sound or the songwriting but again the length which is just way too much. No need for this to be more than 5 minutes. But it is still a pretty well performed and put together track which is why it's still good. While still having Soul influences, 'Heavy Balloon' does return to a more Experimental instrumentation that is stiched together from ideas that are all over the place but it is one of the tracks where this actually works. The songwriting is absolutely incredibly and both vocals and lyrics are performed equally perfect. Some parts in the verses are a little bit unfocused but the pre-chorus is just masterful. It reminds me a lot of Nick Cave which is enough for me to really like the track. It's incredible. Even on 'Cosmonauts' the Epxerimental ideas are present even if they are pushed much further back in the sound. The focus are vocals and lyrics which I personally find pretty basic and standard and in return think that it does ruin a bit of the track but the angelic backing vocals are at least adding something. It sadly doesn't help enough to save much. I think this song is not good and often even bad. The claps at the start of 'For Her' seem to introduce something completely else but it's actually an A Capella girl group that follows with only some weird instrumentation appearing later and not always all that present. The idea is there as well as the product but to me it's just not that interesting. There are certainly moments that are good but it doesn't reach further than okay. 'Drumset' again focuses mainly on the vocals but I find most of the track to be pretty boring and even annoying at points. The good and the bad equal each other out to a very average and decent track. The closing track 'On I Go' is one of the most Experimental tracks with a combination of Avant-Garde Post-Industrial and Pop vocals that add a dark and twisted twist to the sound while still feeling in touch with what the album mostly did. I personally think that these two "parts" don't really fit together well and the result feels very average, again. favourites: Heavy Balloon, Fetch the Bolt Cutters, Relay least favourites: Cosmonauts Rating: strong 6 to light 7 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

Fiona Apple is the female Tom Waits. I say that in all of the good and bad ways you can think of.

Various elements that I usually dislike were at play on this album, but they worked. 1. Excessive repetition 2. Odd extraneous sound effects 3. Spoken word-ish style.

I almost stopped listening on the first song but I hung in there and actually sort of liked Shameika. The rest seems pretty indulgent in that everything feels like a practice run for a live jam session--just not quite as good as it should be. Will say I liked this a lot more than Tidal.

You guys remember the pandemic? Crazy, right? This album is pandemic-core, in a similar vein as that celebrity "Imagine" singalong, or the video of Sam Smith crying about lockdown after like two days. This album was lauded to high heaven when it dropped, and I really didn't get the hype then. Okay, Fiona is stuck in the house and going insane, I guess that makes this album interesting. But musically, it feels not just disorganized but whimsical to a point that I just don't really like. Think Tom Waits if he were doing a character of a carnival barker going insane. I liked one more song this time than I did the first time I heard it (and a few other songs I almost liked, but then they just got too annoying), but I'm still not really into this album. I'll give it three stars because I respect the craft, and it's not bad by any means. But it's dated, and it's not for me. Favorite tracks: Relay, Rack of His, Heavy Balloon. Album art: I do like the cover, it conveys her madness pretty well. Bold, contrasting colors between the font and the little gold ribbons or whatever. She looks like she's auditioning for the Joker, and she kinda sounds like it here too. 3/5

I like how this album is produced; the different layers of music fit very well with each other. But no element makes the album stand out: there are no catchy melodies, no cool guitar riffs, no impressive vocals, or interesting storytelling in the lyrics. To be fair, I don't tend to enjoy alternative music in general, so I guess this album isn't for me.

This album is just what the insufferable chicks I have an irrational list towards would listen to. By the end of that Bolt Cutters song my dogs were wondering why I was listening to a domestic abuse recording

не понял, что люди тут находят, почти 1

Although better than the rest of this week’s selection, I don’t actively ‘like’ Fiona Apple’s music. I know a lot of musos do but she doesn’t do much for me. I quite liked Newspaper but as for the rest - I’m sure it’s worthy but can’t get into it.

I don't really dislike it, she has a good voice but I don't really love it. It's a 2.5 for me getting a 2 because it's way overhyped.

Strange

Hat Potential. Nervt aber kolossal. Sie bevorzugt einen erzählenden Songwriting-Stil, leider interessieren ihre Petitessen mich nicht im geringsten.

Why is this here? She had one song in the 90s.

This was not pleasant to listen to. At the end of the first track, she was making dolphin calls... And it didn't get better from there.

awful

My initial impression was Morrisett in 2020. The notes are held too long in the first track and the noises/babble were too much. The rest of the album sounds like she just wanted to get a record out. Needs a lot more polish. The picture on the cover looks like Fiona is listening to her own songs from this album, I’ve never been a Fiona Apple fan and this may be why.

Shove an apple up your bum, Fiona. As a young father to twin girls, if either of them grew up to be anything like Fiona Apple, I would slit their throats in their sleep.

Well... that sucked.

Not good

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.

Very powerful! An absolute revelation!

Sonically brilliant, very good songwriting, excellent themes. This was an instant classic when it dropped but I will be curious to see how it holds up in a couple decades. I already feel like "Idler Wheel" has a more timeless sound and will be looked at as better in my mind. Time will tell.

Love this album. Good from the first track onwards. "I Want You to Want Me" being one of the best crafted of them all. Enjoyed her different takes on life. Oh, and couldn't help noticing most of her songs included her reflections on ended relationships and bad boyfriends. Might have missed one, but I am thinking of: "Rack of His", "Newspaper", "Ladies", "For Her", and "Drumset".

On first listen I thought, yeah not bad. Second listen blew me away. Musically and lyrically its superb. Really like it

INCREDIBLE!!! Love this album. Masterpiece. Sounds unlike anything else. Strong sparse and nutty instrumentation.

god the LAYERS on the song "fetch the bolt cutters" are so fun, suuuper enjoyable?!?! halfway through - i feel like i could love this album, but so far theres somthing missing? its been really really beautiful in parts but its not a 5... yet! oh weird shes 47, i went into this thinking it was a 20 somthings first/seccond album lol NEVEERMIND i think shes perfected this idea of a "20 somthings first/seccond album" its like okay i said this to my friend im pasting the converstaion; [20/11/2024, 8:15:21 pm] Addie Norton: so far halfway through this album [20/11/2024, 8:15:23 pm] Addie Norton: ITS GOOD [20/11/2024, 8:15:25 pm] Addie Norton: dont get me wrong [20/11/2024, 8:15:28 pm] Addie Norton: i enjoy it [20/11/2024, 8:15:32 pm] Addie Norton: but the production value and vibe is [20/11/2024, 8:15:36 pm] Addie Norton: 20 somthing album 2/3 [20/11/2024, 8:15:40 pm] Addie Norton: and it does that [20/11/2024, 8:15:41 pm] Addie Norton: wonderfully [20/11/2024, 8:15:58 pm] Addie Norton: but agh i cannot sit here and be told that shes 47 😭 [20/11/2024, 8:16:23 pm] Addie Norton: like the lyrics feel too immature for that in a way, i feel like she could take what shes doing and make somthing really interesting [20/11/2024, 8:16:35 pm] Addie Norton: but shes talking about issues I still have [20/11/2024, 8:16:37 pm] Addie Norton: and i dont know [20/11/2024, 8:16:40 pm] Addie Norton: if i should love her [20/11/2024, 8:16:42 pm] Addie Norton: and relate to her [20/11/2024, 8:16:44 pm] Addie Norton: and adore her [20/11/2024, 8:17:01 pm] Addie Norton: but for some reason my gut instinct is resent for some silly reason [20/11/2024, 8:17:16 pm] Addie Norton: MY rating on song 8/13 currently is a 4/5 [20/11/2024, 8:17:26 pm] Addie Norton: it just dosnt have that thing that makes me adore it yet [20/11/2024, 8:17:27 pm] Addie Norton: YET [20/11/2024, 8:17:31 pm] Addie Norton: ill update u ❤️ [20/11/2024, 8:19:00 pm] Addie Norton: she has a very pretty voice but its also like [20/11/2024, 8:19:05 pm] Addie Norton: raspy when she pushes it [20/11/2024, 8:19:10 pm] Addie Norton: and it gives it a little tingle i like [20/11/2024, 8:19:22 pm] Addie Norton: her screaming LADIES LADIES LADIES is really satisfying [20/11/2024, 8:22:48 pm] CATHERINNNE awesomeface: Yes [20/11/2024, 8:22:51 pm] CATHERINNNE awesomeface: Yes [20/11/2024, 8:22:55 pm] CATHERINNNE awesomeface: Yes [20/11/2024, 8:23:46 pm] Addie Norton: also [20/11/2024, 8:23:49 pm] Addie Norton: the double bass goes [20/11/2024, 8:23:50 pm] Addie Norton: so hard [20/11/2024, 8:23:54 pm] Addie Norton: i need to hear this live [20/11/2024, 8:23:55 pm] Addie Norton: HAHA [20/11/2024, 8:23:57 pm] Addie Norton: is all i think in short, now im coming towards the end of this album. its solid. its so solid. you feel the pain and emotion in her voice, you want to cry with her, you feel it with her, cosmonauts has just brung this to a 5/5 album. fucking hell. its not even over. this idea that other people are talking about it being a row of f bombs and a dump on the system? i doing see that, i dont notice that, to me this is a woman talking about her issues, i dont know who she is, as her first album for me, i liked it. i think it had a peak at cosmonauts, but that was a good album. thanks. ALSO THE PRECUSSION IS SO FUN!! raw, emotional, fun.

I love Fiona Apple but this didn't need to be here. It's a great record and came out during the early days of the pandemic but still... probably not required listening on this. Nonetheless I personally love it.

Really Great! Tribal and energetic

really neat album. totally against the grain at times but completely listenable. fiona apple's songwriting is on a different plane from everyone else. very uniquely and singularly her. from front to back, i really enjoyed this one!

Obviously

Fiona goes in a very surprising Tom Waits-esque direction with all the pounding percussion and other strange sounds. Very pointed songwriting, with powerful imagery, intimate but surreal. Truly uncompromising record from a truly uncompromising artist. Key tracks: I Want You to Love Me Shameika Fetch the Bolt Cutters Rack of His Cosmonauts

Shameika Rack of His Newspaper Heavy Balloon For Her

I didn't immediately click with this album when I first listened but revisiting again after discovering the rest of her discography and falling in love this is now one of the most gripping singer songwriter albums I've ever heard

Great album

Everyone should listen to this at least once in their life

Loved this.

10/10. Great creativity and voice. Large majority of songs went to the playlist.

Das war eine absolute Überraschung für mich. Dieses Album ging wohl in der Vergangenheit an mir vorüber, was ich nicht verstehen kann. Soviel Rhythmus und Kreativität, die in dieser Produktion stecken, ist sagenhaft. Und die Arrangements kann man gar nicht beschreiben, die muss man sich anhören und dann staunt man. Das muss einer erst einfallen. Fiona Apple ist das Gelungen. Für mich ist das Neu. Ich bin geflasht. Meisterwerk

This was one of my top 5 favourite records of 2020. I havent listened to it in a few years but I think I love it even more. Experimental indie record where you don’t know what’s going to happen next. It’s pop, I think, but in the best possible way. And her lyrics are incredible. She can be brutal and direct at times, and strange at others. Her vocals / lyrics are the main draw for me, I cant think of too many vocalists that manage to be the main draw without detracting from the music which flows so well with this. It’s a perfect 5 for me.

Might be the most unexpectedly great album of the list so far. Is this the album that Fiona Apple is known for? It should be. Very eclectic in a way that would be terrible if the songs weren't so well done. Lots of time signature changes and lots of different melodies running over each other. Singing was really good too, reminded me of Hop Along, think this album must be very influential on a particular brand of indie. The gulf in quality between Tidal and this is huge. There was a song or two that didn't land but that might just be a first listen thing. 4.5.

I don't usually like experimental stuff, but this was great. 4.5/5

gonna save it. expected to like it because people with similar taste to me liked it. want to listen to the lyrics carefully

Pushing the envelope with this one. Really enjoy it.

Singer-songwriter, art pop, progressive pop. Stunningly percussive, dense and hard to chew. It's a hard album to listen to for all the right reasons. I struggle to describe it. 5/5

I would beg to disagree, but begging disagrees with me I told you I didn't want to go to this dinner You know I don't go for those ones that you bother about So when they say something that makes me start to simmer That fancy wine won't put this fire out, oh Kick me under the table all you want I won't shut up Fuck yeah, this is a great album. 5/5

Having been on this site for over a year, here's a handy tip: any reviews where the reviewer compares a woman artist ONLY to other artists who are women can safely be filed away under M for Misogyny (and completely ignored).

One of the most unique albums I've ever heard

Love this album. Reminds me of riding around during early Covid. So many great songs. Love the recording style.

This was, by far, one of the most interesting and well done albums that I've listened to yet as part of the 1001 albums project. That being said, there were some times that I felt annoyed by it. By this, I mean certain songs were annoying to me, but they were few, and the songs that really hit, hit hard.

Purposeful chaos. Loved it during covid, love it now.

Creative and really differing songs in a rhythmic way

ocd queen

Love it. I was very unsure first, but as long as i have been listening it got to me.

I wish I knew what, exactly, it is that makes this record perfect to me. That doesn't really matter though. It is here when I need it and gives me the opportunity to disconnect and live in Fiona Apple-ton for a period of time, and that is a very valuable trait.

Regina Spektor, Kimbra, Melanie, Fiona Apple: Freestyle rapping with analog vocode Every time she switches up the time signature, she sounds insane on this album and I loved it. She's pissed off. Every track was so unique in composition. I was taken in each time and felt something different every 2 minutes. She was seeing something when she recorded all this.

Best Song: Cosmonauts. I changed my mind about which song was the best several times while listening to this album, but I think the enunciation of "we'll be like a couple of cosmonauts" wins it for me. Worst Song: Can't find one. Overall: Really brilliant stuff. I can't remember an album on this list that is so successfully heterogeneous. There are so many unique forms that the tracks here manifest, with the main through-line being Fiona Apple's poetic, passionate vocals. I feel like her vocal phrasing is just incredible, with each enunciation feeling like the perfect way of saying something. I also love how a lot of the arrangements have this chaotic, kitchen-sink feeling. Every addition to a track felt like managed to feel like both a random addition - something that someone just decided to spontaneously insert through love of the music - but also that same seemingly random addition often felt like precisely what the needed, in retrospect. The result is an album that feels both expert and amateur, and the distance between the listener and the music feels as thin as possible.

I love this album. It's honest, sincere, emotionally intelligent, fun to listen to, stands up to repeat listens, and made with genuine passion.

No sé por qué exactamente, puede que por la voz de Fiona Apple (la cual escucho por primera vez hoy) o por las letras simples pero divertidas, que me lo he pasado increíble escuchando este disco. Una sorpresaza que se merece las 5 estrellas porque me ha parecido mágico. Puede que hasta vea algo más de Fiona Apple.

Damn, loved this. Her voice is so unique. I love the emotion coming through in all songs. I love the lyrical creativity. Big fan of this :)

Grit, creativity, masterful performance, perfection.

In Fetch the Bold Cutters, Fiona Apple is experimenting with rhythms, and a collection of experimental percussion instruments. Apple's music is still centered around the piano and her clear, articulate vocals, like her earlier albums. This collection of songs is more experimental, and of a surprising range. By the end of the album, it isn't clear what genre to place Apple's music in.

The instrumentation, vocals, songwriting, everything, it’s all so innovative. I listened to this 3 or 4 times just because, but it’s clearly a modern day masterpiece.

When this initially came out, everyone from Pitchfork critics to parking garage attendants praised it as a perfectly-timed pandemic-addled exploration of isolation. And at the time, I didn't get it. I generally loved Fiona up to this point, but something about Fetch the Bolt Cutters felt distinctly too self-aware, too deconstructed, too heady. And this is why we sit with records for a few years! Revisiting this was a treat, and made me [finally] realize how amazing it is. I think the original context of the pandemic hurt my initial understanding, actually. Fetch the Bolt Cutters isn't isolationist; it’s begging for community, specifically community from women, which is important because it does so in a culture that wants women to isolate from each other. The percussiveness also works a lot better now after several listens and a bit of time; sure, maybe it's because I'm not stuck in the house banging my head against the wall, both literally and figuratively, but I take it less as a primal scream of anger, and more as a primal scream of femininity, akin to a seance. More importantly, now that I've had time to sit with my initial reaction, I'm able to listen to this and actually pick up the hooks, pick up on the off-kilter grooves, pick up on Apple's inherent pop sensibilities that are still there, just deconstructed like a burger at a 2-star Michelin restaurant. And like that burger, no matter how strange it may have felt to eat it, your taste buds will dwell on it for the next week. Literally, I’ve been humming the hooks to a lot of these songs the last few days, which is cool because they are not “normal” hooks by any means. This doesn't mean this album isn't obtuse – it very much is. It's coded-language, it's a college-level thesis paper, it's difficult and not something you'll get on spin 1, and maybe not even something you'll get on spin 50. I see why this may not be everyone's jam. This is the kind of record that shows the vital flaw of this project, because one day to process an album is not possible for something this dense. But thankfully, this isn’t my first rodeo with Fetch the Bolt Cutters, and this go around, it finally clicked. I'm still unsure if I would listen to this album in pieces/pull out specific tracks, or even play this frequently, because it is a very, very dense and intense full listen, but you don't need to revisit something constantly to know that it's masterful and great for certain situations. And while I’m still going to say When the Pawn... is my preferred Fiona Apple record, I’m deeply, freshly in love with Fetch the Bolt Cutters, and I think I'm finally comfortable saying that she may have a completely flawless discography. So deserving of that Perfect 10 from Pitchfork, and I’m happy to finally be on board.

I remember listening to this album Dec 2020. I had never heard of her before, but kept seeing the album everywhere. That first experience was unlike anything I’d ever imagined. From the lyrics, to the production, to the melodies, it made for a perfect album for me. This album is the reason I went back in her discography. Now, almost 4 years later, I’m a massive Fiona Apple fan.

Love this album. She has evolved so much as an artist since her first album and only seems to be getting better. It’s a weird, painful, honest album and I don’t think she’s sounded better.

Yeah, this is pure brilliance. Not always easy to listen to, due to some intense subject matter. But pay attention because this hits hard, both musically and emotionally.

Already a favorite. I never listened to Fiona when I was a teen and was floored when I heard this. Highly recommend to everyone!

Intense, silly, explosive. Wow!!!

That was great fun. Probably going to add it to my collection so I can listen to it again later

I had the 'Tidal' album back in the day, so I had a feeling I would enjoy this. 5/5