sslabs's Full Review: Extraordinary Machine by Fiona Apple
There are times when there just isn’t anything new to say. There are times when there isn’t anything new worth sharing. There are times when days blur into weeks, and weeks blur into months, and there isn’t anything burned to CD to stir me. In terms of writing for epinions & shopping.com which now sit under the eBay umbrella with giants like PayPal, it’s been months since I’ve written a thing.
Should I punch up a review of a diaper pail, breast pump, or good book just to throw something out there? Should I throw something up like a toddler throwing a meatball against the wall, laughing as it slides to the floor? Epinions aside, when it comes to music, it’s been 2,164 days since I’ve had anything to get excited about (give or take a day).
So, allow me to share with you, my excitement. Fiona Apple’s third ball out of the ballpark Extraordinary Machine. I’m so tired of reading about the false start that Extraordinary Machine had two years ago that I don’t care to regurgitate that stale information. Extraordinary Machine 1.0 will only ever exist on the Internet as a low resolution, crunchy sounding MP3 that isn’t worth wasting electrons discussing any further.
Long story short, with Sony befuddled by Machine 1.0 Fiona had to change gears. She ended up handing her material to a more mainstream, radio friendly producer by the name of Mike Elizondo. Elizondo played bass on When The Pawn, other than that, I know nothing of him, and I hope it stays that way. I have absolutely no need for a Kanye West 2.0 at this point. I can’t even handle Kanye 1.0 as it is, I don’t need another one like him. Sometimes I wish he did die in that car crash. Changing the subject completely…
Extraordinary music?
So was Machine worth the nearly six year wait? I’ve been depressed that Fiona Apple was on the sideline all this time. Watching the Goo-Goo Dolls, the Foo-Fighters, the Green Days, and the Gwen Stefanis pump out the product. I felt despondent, like a coach sending in a rookie, ‘cause my first stringer had a broken arm. I’ve been with Fiona on the bench, screaming, begging her to play. But the sound wouldn’t come out of my mouth, like some bad dream.
I don’t know if Machine was worth the wait. But I’ll say that waiting for it was torturous. But then those memories begin to melt away somewhat with the very first taste of Extraordinary Machine. That thread that ran through Tidal and Pawn, of Fiona constantly licking her wounds is absent for the most part. Here, when Apple sings of angst, she seems to sing from a position of strength and experience.
On Extraordinary Machine Apple swings from confident and muscular to playful at the drop of a hat. On the title track, when Fiona sings sweetly “be kind to me or treat me mean… I’ll make the most if it, I’m an extraordinary machine” I’m already hooked. It’s a side of Apple I’ve never heard. She’s carefree, upbeat and comfortable in her own skin. Even better, the old-timey sound crushes the plastic that populates every music media outlet. As a whole, Apple’s latest album leans more toward When the Pawn… than it does toward Tidal. Just one listen, and most Apple heads will slide right into Machine. Familiarity is the name of the game. With the sound of Fiona’s venerable husky vocals spilling sharp poems, comfort abounds. Surround it with throbbing beats, and sparkling production and it’s all familiar and new at the same time.
Get Him Back is the “Limp” of Machine. It’s almost like a collage of every bad boyfriend Apple’s had. Fiona hits the ground running, sounding hurried and businesslike when she croons “Next one up, a contemptible snob…. The only track rich in Tidal flavor is the poetic, slow cooker O’ Sailor. Only this time around, Apple sounds a little less wounded, and a little more reflective. There are two standout tracks on Machine. The first would be the title track, it’s Fiona’s lyrical genius shining through.
She’s so subtle about it, that I didn’t realize it the first time through. The second high point, on the production side is Tymps. This is the ‘console monkey’ gem of Machine. Here, Apple’s biting words, a mishmash of thoughts is surrounded by a complex tapestry of sounds. Swirling around Apple’s whiskey voice are trilling, warbling sounds of a mellotron, vibes and Wurlitzer. Almost as brilliant is the bass throbbing Window and the bouncy and rolling Please, Please, Please. Apple even scorches on Not About Love when she busts out verses a la System of a Down machine gun style.
Not about Love is when it will dawn on most listeners just how crafty Apple is as a wordsmith and a vocalist. To be blunt, Apple Vs. Stefani, it’s like watching a cat play with a mouse. That’s no swipe at Gwen Stefani, you can insert just about any female vocalist on the charts if it so pleases you, but I digress.
Final Machine Thoughts
Initial spins of Machine will shake out a few sticky tracks. The rest eventually gain mental traction out of sheer hunger for more Apple. Machine growls, punches, soothes and dreams its way from track one to twelve. Apple dishes out something smart, clever, or poetic at almost every turn. This twelve track 50 minute long Machine seems to end all too fast, like anything good I guess.
Maybe that’s why it’s the kind of record you can’t wait to ride again. Machine is truly extraordinary, so much so, that after much internal debate, I’m giving Machine five stars. In music, it’s been four years, ten months, six days, and I don’t know how many hours since I’ve handed that out. Now that’s extraordinary.
I’m very disappointed in Sony/Epic and their DualDisc Machine. Offering up Machine in some pseudo hi-res “enhanced stereo” is insulting really. It’s still 16 bit, and increasing the sampling rate from 44.1k to 48k is like getting new wheels on your car that are 1/16th of an inch bigger. You’ll wonder why you did it, and if anyone actually notices. Worse yet is the Dolby 5.1 treatment. A low bit rate of 348k, or 448k for 6 channels? You insult me.
I’m anything but surprised by the same label that’s been sitting on Tidal for six years since the release of Super Audio CD and has yet to deliver Tidal in hi-def. I guess I’ll pick up the DualDisc at some point for the extra crumbs of material, but with the lack of any high definition version, I’m in no hurry at all. I guess it's back to the Sony voodoo doll to soothe my seething anger.
Extraordinary Machine is the long-awaited third album from multi-platinum artist Fiona Apple. Extraordinary Machine contains 12 electrifying tracks, i...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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