>Fetch The Bolt Cutters feels like a bold, but natural
>evolution from the sound of Idler Wheel. It's extremely
>percussive, can be relatively experimental and her
>performance/writing is fantastic.

I think one reason I love her catalog so much is she's a great example of what it means to explore and experiment within a sound rather than reaching far outside of it. Every album is very different yet it is all identifiable as her - the piano never sounds the same yet it is somehow her, the writing shifts yet it is somehow her. You can listen to her first album next to this one, note the range and the journey, but still they feel very much at home together.

I can't help but think of Tori as a comparison, whose piano playing moved to the background around her fourth album and whose own experimentation wound up being more an excursion into other forms of instrumentation (different band line-ups, incorporating electronic instruments more, stretching out into long-form drone-jams). In a strange way, as much as I love Tori and think her discography's pretty incredible, she lost a bit of what was interesting or unique about her along the way. Fiona's released a lot less but has arguably built a more substantial musical landscape to work from that she can fully claim as her own. (I don't know if that makes sense and I might change my mind tomorrow, lol.)

I guess my point is: Apple's found a way to keep the piano forward and actually seem to push it in new directions yet still very much being her. There's a sense of adventure on each of her records; string them together and it's a fucking epic musical journey.


-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~