“Here it comes, a better version of me…”

Fiona Apple’s Extraordinary Machine had its gears grind to a halt in May 2003 when it was shelved by Sony Music, apparently because the execs couldn’t find any potential hit singles on the singer-songwriter’s much-anticipated third album. But zealous fans launched FreeFiona.com and campaigned for the release of the CD, and a heartened Apple went back to the studio with producer Mike Elizondo (he who co-wrote such popular hip-hop tunes as 50 Cent’s “In Da Club” and Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady”) and re-recorded nine of the eleven tracks that had been leaked online.

I haven’t heard the original songs that she did with producer Jon Brion (who has since distanced himself from the album), but from what I gather, most fans are pleased with the changes. The majority of the songs are very cabaret – I can close my eyes and imagine Apple bent over a piano in a smoky parlour somewhere, singing her angst and defiance out.

Although she’s no longer a teenager – she was 18 when she released her debut album Tidal in 1996 – Apple’s angst is far from over. Much of Extraordinary Machine was written in the wake of her split with director Paul Thomas Anderson. The breakup angst is tempered by maturity, and the result is music that’s bold and unconventional even when it’s in pain.

This makes for an album of somewhat experimental nature. Of note is “Waltz,” the closing track, which dances right off the CD and onto a Broadway stage. Perhaps Apple should write musicals; she’s got the flair and the whimsy. The only song I didn’t take to is “Tymps,” because although I love the things Apple does with strings and drums, the danceable hip-hop flavour is out of place here.

Of course, I do love me some melodic angst. My favourite tracks are “Window” and “Get Him Back.” Apple is a brilliant and clever lyricist. You can read her songs like poetry and still feel the rhythm, the power and the underlying depths. “Better that I break the window,” she angsts, “Than him, or her, or me.” And later on the album: “This is not about love / Because I am not in love / In fact, I can’t stop falling out.” Whether she’s singing about her newfound faith in herself or a revenge fantasy, her voice and her piano are extraordinary indeed.

Extraordinary Machine – Fiona Apple
4*/5*

1. Extraordinary Machine
2. Get Him Back
3. O’Sailor
4. Better Version of Me
5. Tymps (The Sick in the Head Song)
6. Parting Gift
7. Window
8. Oh Well
9. Please Please Please
10. Red Red Red
11. Not About Love
12. Waltz (Better Than Fine)






Related Stories: