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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Little Earthquakes

Tori Amos

1992

Buy At Rough Trade
Little Earthquakes
Album Summary

Little Earthquakes is the debut solo album by the American singer-songwriter Tori Amos, featuring the singles "Silent All These Years", "China", "Winter" and "Crucify". After Atlantic Records rejected the first version of the album, Amos began working on a second version with her then-boyfriend Eric Rosse. The album was first released in the UK on January 6, 1992, where it peaked at number 14 in the charts. It was well received by critics and listeners. In the US, the album reached the top 60 of the Billboard 200. It is frequently regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time; it was voted number 73 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums 3rd Edition (2000) and ranked number 233 on Rolling Stone's 500 greatest albums of all time.

Wikipedia

Rating

3.16

Votes

10399
Genres
Pop
Rock
Singer Songwriter

Reviews

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Fri May 14 2021
1

Its like if you merged Alannis Morissette, Bjork and Kate Bush and it didn't work.

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Fri Jan 26 2024
5

It always baffles me to remember that this was Tori Amos' first solo album. It has such a confidence about it, a strong sense of self. This album would become the basis for her entire musical career, and is pretty much reflective of how she continues to conduct her musical style still today. First, Tori Amos was a surreal lyricist out the gate; all of the songs here have poetic wording and phrasing, but there are certain things said that cause you to raise an intrigued eyebrow. Much of the material is derived from her own personal life experiences, which she clearly has some extremely vibrant and bizarre reflections about. This is all presented with a beautiful voice that she often twists into wails and hollers. Second, Tori Amos was piano-forward out the gate. She took a natural passion and a talent and drove it directly into her music and allowed it to shine. What you get as a result is music that exists somewhere between singer-songwriter, bizarre cabaret, and alternative pop/rock. So rooted is her songwriting and her musicianship in her piano playing, that the sound of the piano is an extension of her voice, from discordant slams to quiet tickling of the keys. Throughout the album, Tori keeps things sounding fresh; she manages to take her concept and be consistent across the entire album, all while allowing each song to sound unique and individual when compared to the others. This is a beautifully done album that feels powerful from start to finish, but it is also an album that deliberately leaves a bit of uneasiness with the listener. Again, this album is somewhat autobiographical, and up to this point, Tori has not always had the easiest life, and on this album, that uneasiness masterfully weaves in and out of the forefront, much in the same way that life's difficulties come and go. This album is probably around a 4.5 for me, but I'm going to round up for the pure impact of this album, whether it's recognized or not. People across reviews have said things implying that Tori Amos is a wannabe Fiona Apple or Alanis Morissette, when in fact Tori was a groundbreaker that helped make room for artists like them to succeed.

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Fri Jan 29 2021
4

China is a ridiculous song and I still can't figure out what is going on in it. I love it. The album has so many different sounds with each different song and I liked a lot of them. The lyrics were strange and surreal some times, but I always enjoyed the story told. 4 stars, I would like to listen to this again some day.

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Wed Dec 15 2021
5

Powerful. Her voice is amazing, passionate and varied and the piano work perfectly accompanies the pieces (though clearly Me and a Gun is stark and painful with just her voice).

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Fri Jan 28 2022
5

Listened Before? Y This… is one of my favorite albums of all time. Tori Amos in her prime. Complex lyrics that completely capture the emotions intended, beautifully composed and performed music. A classic. Added to Library? Y

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Fri Apr 29 2022
5

Pretty fucking epic. So many very-good-to-great songs (“Crucify,” “Girl,” “Silent,” “China” and “Little Earthquakes” and “Tear in a Hand”). There’s a likable consistency to the tone and arrangements (centered on vocals and piano), and yet enough variety to keep listeners consistently engaged. Her voice is classic (if occasionally overextended) and the playing and instrumentation offer lots of grace notes and nice touches. This is way better than I remember (heard a lot when it came out) and has aged extremely well (even improved), an easy 4.5, even accounting for the fact that it was one of my ex-wife’s favorite records, and rounding up for overall excellence.

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Fri Sep 03 2021
3

This album has clearly been influential for a lot of future indie women artists, but I don't think these songs hold up.

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Wed Jan 20 2021
2

I feel like I can't give it 1 star, but I wanted to

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Fri Jan 15 2021
2

This is what Fiona Apple would sound like if she was twice as generic and half as talented.

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Wed Feb 16 2022
5

One of the greatest albums of all time.

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Wed Apr 06 2022
5

This is insanely good. Left me with chills. Standout tracks: all of them but I guess "Silent All These Years," "Leather," "Little Earthquakes"

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Mon May 23 2022
5

Superb. Before Tori Amos the only really groundbreaking female piano artist was Kate Bush. Many other artists were making bland, upbeat numbers which never really stood out. Along came Tori talking about masturbation, unrequited and lost love, religious oppression and many other things that made her stamp on the world. This album is a masterpiece.

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Wed Dec 07 2022
5

Here’s another album I have loved it since its release. Tori Amos’ piano work is exquisite, the songs perfectly crafted, the arrangements beautiful. I love every song on this which is why it has been and will remain one of my favorite albums of all time. Little Earthquakes is perfection and every bit as compelling 30 years after I first heard it.

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Fri May 26 2023
5

I know I know you well well better than I used to. I've enjoyed a 30 year relationship with this record. Despite having critics and sceptics along the way for the love I have for Tori, I still try to celebrate and share her brilliance as often as I can. My life is better for knowing her work so well. I'm glad I picked up that cd single at the rock pit record store in 1992 because I liked the cover art. Castles are burning in my heart. Thank you, Tori. Thank you.

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Thu Nov 11 2021
1

I feel like I should like Amos (or at least appreciate her) but .. I mean, it's just a really annoying album. Amos comes off as a cut-rate Morrisette and every track grates on the ear. The album is entirely populated with noisy, cardboard songs sung with more energy than skill and oddly lacking in anything approaching passion. I never get the impression that she actually cares about anything she's singing about. And the constant, often atonal warbling and wailing quickly gets legitimately painful. It's fingernails-on-a-chalkboard levels of cringe.

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Sat Nov 19 2022
1

I genuinely do not want to hear any of the songs on this album ever again. 2/10

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Mon Apr 26 2021
5

Very surprising and great album. Loved "Crucify", "Winter".

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Fri Jan 15 2021
5

Listened to all through high school.

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Wed Mar 17 2021
5

Vocal e piano são o ponto forte. Crucify parece um misto de música ocidental com oriental, maior pira

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Fri Dec 03 2021
5

Double yass! Like so many people, I discovered Tori Amos via Professional Widow. This album is not like Professional Widow. Most tracks are a simple piano/singer combo, and while the style is very familiar to those who grew up in the 1990s, it holds up still. Amos is earnest, emotionally aware and just plain splendid. One of the best albums ever recorded.

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Mon Jan 17 2022
5

Geweldig album! Staat nog altijd als een huis.

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Sun Jan 30 2022
5

Piano girl popped off, haunting vocals, sick hooks and she's CRAZY FOR THE SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT COVER. i love you and in the pink even more

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Wed Jul 13 2022
5

Absolutely beautiful, a lot of these tracks are perfect. "All These Years" and "Me and a Gun" are proof that music can literally break me.

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Fri Jul 15 2022
5

Really good soundscape, which makes sense due to her Chromesthesia. Truly beautiful, somewhere between PJ Harvey and Rufus Wainwright.

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Mon Aug 08 2022
5

This is one of my favorites! I saw Tori in concert not too long ago — she’s still making great music. “Boys For Pelé” is my favorite of her records, and “Little Earthquakes” might be my third favorite. She wasn’t afraid to speak up about things and assert her musical style. This record in particular touches on many different songwriting/piano approaches, so you get to see some of her range. She did indeed make some little earthquakes before making even bigger ones with her later success!

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Thu Sep 01 2022
5

Far from being my favourite genre, but this is an amazing record and Tori has an amazing talent for songwriting. "Me and a Gun" is a truly heartbreaking piece that will forever stick with me. Favourite Tracks: - Precious Things - Crucify - Winter - Me and a Gun - Little Earthquakes - Silent All These Years - Girl - Leather Overall Grade: 5/5

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Sat Sep 24 2022
5

One of the rightful heirs to the Kate Bush throne

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Tue Oct 11 2022
5

So good, still, after all these years.

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Wed Oct 19 2022
5

The first real masterpiece I’ve discovered on this list.

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Wed Nov 09 2022
5

This was very good! A lot of songs sounded surprisingly familiar, and there was enough really good stuff on here that I'm happy to round up to 5

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Mon Nov 14 2022
5

Just too good of an album. Incredible voice in all aspect, used so well in different songs that are all very very good. Transcendant songs. 4.5/5

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Sat Nov 19 2022
5

9/10. This was excellent, enjoyed every song, maybe even worth a 10.

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Wed Dec 07 2022
5

An old favorite. Still excellent.

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Wed Dec 07 2022
5

I just love love love this album! Have I really been singing along to this for 30 years?!? I suppose that is why it felt like coming home as "every finger in the room is pointing at me".

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Sun Dec 11 2022
5

In the early 90s, I was waiting tables at a wine bar and cafe in Chicago when Ms. Amos and her manager sat at one of my tables. They were there to promote this album and she had spent the afternoon at a nearby record store, signing copies of this CD, that sort of thing. She had brought in some candy apples and I said to her that the cafe's policy was no outside food allowed but because she's Tori Amos, I've brought her a plate and knife so she can enjoy them. Towards the end of her visit, I thanked her for this album and especially 'Silent All These Years' really spoke to me. I meant it, too. I added that to show my gratitude for her singing to me, I'd like to serenade her. So I did. I knelt beside her, sang 'Love Is All Around', then she gave me a kiss on the cheek (and, yes, I very much had a Marcia-Brady-kissed-on-the-cheek-by-Davy-Jones "I'll never wash this cheek again!" moment), and left behind a signed CD with a sweet note thanking me for the candy apple indulgence. After that, her career continued to shine. I think we all know it's all becaause of me.

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Mon Dec 12 2022
5

Absolutely stunning. I need to listen to more by her.

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Fri Dec 16 2022
5

How have I never heard of Tori Amos before. That piano playing is sublime, not complex but full of emotion that lets it sing. Speaking of which, Amos' vocals are very good too. The tracks with those two elements or just the voice for Me and the Gun, were so powerful.

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Sat Dec 17 2022
5

Tori Amos’ debut is incredible. It is symphonic, melodic, and experimental. Her musical instincts are spot on and it creates an album that is confessional, surreal, and intimate. I hear a lot of influence from Kate Bush, another phenomenal songwriter who wasn’t afraid to takes risks. Tori Amos’ sound itself had become very influential and can be heard in similarly phenomenal artists like Fiona Apple.

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Tue Dec 20 2022
5

Beautiful, haunting and poetic from start to finish

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Thu Dec 22 2022
5

This album defined the 90s for me.

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Tue Jan 03 2023
5

Love. So angsty. Listened on repeat all day.

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Tue Jan 24 2023
5

Fantastic album. No bad tracks, some great ones The album flows well and is a pleasure to listen to Still not bored after the 4th or 5th repeat

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Sun Jan 29 2023
5

Excellent. Bold, delicate, really the full gammut.

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Mon Feb 13 2023
5

Still as exceptional 30 years later.

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Wed Feb 22 2023
5

Still a pretty perfect album (voice, piano, song writing etc) apart from the lyrics and some misfires.

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Fri Mar 03 2023
5

What an album! I love this. It's got emotional depth, gothy vibes, virtuosity, literary references.

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Fri Mar 03 2023
5

Fantastic, not my first listen.

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Mon Mar 06 2023
5

I’ve looooved this album since I was like 16 a masterpiece. So personal

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Tue Mar 07 2023
5

Really good, will definitely listen again

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Fri Mar 10 2023
5

Love Tori, Love this album. All the tracks are winners.

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Sun Mar 12 2023
5

This album is simply amazing.

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Mon Mar 27 2023
5

She showed her (and women's, I assume) vulnerabilities to the world with incredible bravery. Like, the disc opens with "Crucify" reminds me about Odysseus ties himself to the sailboat pillar to hear - not to hide - the voice of sirens while the other sailors cover their ears to avoid (though It doesn't actually relate to the lyrics). She crucifies herself on the piano with no attempt to hide away any of vulnerabilities at all, thus, at last, reaches to a carthasis that made her delivery becomes redemptive and universal. And again, no songs are worth to be skipped. Fav track: Winter.

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Mon Apr 17 2023
5

I didn't discover Tori Amos until Under the Pink (1994) and then I went back and listened to Little Earthquakes relentlessly. Tori was basically a different, less distortion driven way to express my teenage angst at a time when grunge music was dominating airwaves. Grunge and Tori Amos were two sides of the same coin for teenage me.

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Mon Apr 17 2023
5

One of my favorite albums of all time. Happy Phantom is, in my opinion, the perfect encapsulation of 90s Tori. Listen to the Deluxe edition for a haunting Smells Like Teen Spirit cover: https://music.apple.com/us/album/smells-like-teen-spirit-remastered/961925135?i=961925206

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Mon Apr 17 2023
5

I love how Tori uses her voice and sparse piano arrangements. The meter and delivery are uneven and unpredictable, keeping you off-balance but wanting more.

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Mon Apr 17 2023
5

Þessi spilaðist oft í bakgrunnninum í den, en ég gaf ekki mikið fyrir hana. Núna græðir hún vissulega á kunnugleikanum, en sko vá, þetta er frábær plata. Ég er ekki mikill píanómaður en þetta steinliggur. Frábær lög, flutningur og útsetningar.

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Tue Apr 18 2023
5

Parts boisterous, parts arresting and parts vaudevillian, Little Earthquakes announces Tori Amos' arrival to the music world. And what an arrival it is, reconfiguring the singer-songwriter pianist trope for a new generation and infusing with stories fanciful, imaginative and taboo. An enduring classic thirty plus years on.

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Tue Apr 18 2023
5

Where has this been all my life??

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Mon Apr 24 2023
5

What a great surprise. Loved Tori's soft voice paired with the great instrumentation that ranges from acapella to atmospheric piano

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Sat Apr 29 2023
5

Phenominal album, I love how personal and touching her storytelling is throughout. You won't find many songs better than Silent all these years.

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Thu May 04 2023
5

I’m possibly rating this too high as I think a few of the songs in the middle of the album are pretty weak, but it think the highlight (crucify, girl, tear in the hand etc.) are some of my all time favourite songs. I think the lyrics are really interesting and unique and overall I find the album really engaging.

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Tue May 09 2023
5

One of my favorite of all time. I don't need to listen to it to hear it, but I will.

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Sun Aug 27 2023
5

Legendary album that has a special place in my heart

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Thu Sep 14 2023
5

Still love it after all these years.

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Thu Sep 14 2023
5

A beautiful album- Amos is so unique. Love the piano.

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Sun Sep 17 2023
5

An exceptional album, with a couple of properly arresting tracks - me and a gun in particular makes you stop what you're doing and listen. Like a wonderful mix of Kate Bush, Björk and Alanis Morissette, with flawless vocals, wonderful instrumentation and musicianship, and exceptional lyrics.

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Sun Sep 24 2023
5

One of the greatest albums of the 90s.

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Tue Oct 10 2023
5

Unapologetic love for this album and Under the Pink. Tori Amos is my favourite singer/songwriter/piano warrior.

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Mon Oct 30 2023
5

If you're unsure what rating to give this album, just listen to the final two songs.

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Fri Nov 17 2023
5

Beautiful and magical... Especially the song "Winter".

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Tue Nov 21 2023
5

A lovely surprise to see this album on the 1001. Unique, earthy, haunting vocals, gifted lyrics and strong melodies. A long time since I listened to this - I'd forgotten a lot of the songs - e.g. "Silent all these years" and "Leather". Yes, Tori has strong echoes of Kate Bush, but she's a lot more avant-garde. A definite 5... which for me means I'd happily listen to the album end to end and multiple times

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Sun Nov 26 2023
5

I've loved this album since 1992!

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Sun Dec 10 2023
5

Tori Amos excels at what some bands and artists fail to do: Make good piano-based rock songs. Her debut solo album ‘Little Earthquakes’ is no exception, being a melodramatic and confessional album full of Kate Bush style lyrics and grandeur bigger than some Ancient Greeks’ hubris. The album’s cover shows a metaphorical representation of Tori’s story. She’s trapped in a box, and the look on her face tells the listener that she needs some help to get out. By making this album, Tori became a sensation, being on Rhino Records for her whole career. Coming from a person who hasn’t listened to any of Tori Amos’ songs before listening to this album, she’s more amazing than I thought she would be. 4.8/5 (rounding up to a 5 because I can) Favorite Track: Happy Phantom Least Favorite: Precious Things

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Sat Jan 06 2024
5

Alright, I'm going to be fair on this. It was not to my tastes (completely) though there were times I was into it. That said, it's clear how different and influencing this album was in an entire genre.

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Wed Jan 10 2024
5

One of the best albums of my life. What a way to represent a woman’s late teens and early 20s. Girls today need this album.

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Thu Jan 18 2024
5

First album I got that is actually in .y current rotation. So visceral. I love her.

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Mon Jan 29 2024
5

"Got enough guilt to start my own religion." Tori Amos put the bar for any follow-up album incredibly high with a 1-2-3 of 'Silent All These Years - Precious Things - Winter.' I don't have much more to add than others with 5* have already said.

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Wed Feb 07 2024
5

Musically relevant. Lyrically sound. An important album, to be sure. Her voice just hits me a little wrong. It always has. I still love everything else about the album.

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Fri Feb 23 2024
5

Not to “Boss Baby” this album but getting lesbian Kate Bush vibes for this. I def get the lineage from Tori Amos to like the current sad alt pop girlies.

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