Reviews, Interviews, News, Commentaries, Glimpses of God, Best-Of ListsFiona Apple: The Idler Wheel ...
Style: Experimental, piano-driven rock; compare to Tori Amos, Regina Spektor
Top Tracks: "Every Single Night," "Periphery," "Hot Knife"
From its beginning tongue-twisting title, Fiona Apple's Idler Wheel demands undivided attention with a cocktail of experimental piano and rhythm-driven rock infused with baroque-pop and jazz elements. Most of the time, Apple sings her shamelessly authentic narratives; but periodically, she also growls, chirps, moans, and throws little fits. From these exaggerated (at times abrasive), vocalizations, the daily frustrations of humanity emerge—from insecure over-analysis of menial interactions to self-destructive relationships, escapism, and emotional extremes. In the end, though, Apple offers little hope outside of awareness itself, leaving us to find our own way through the mess.
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Star Trek Into Darkness
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Brent White
Kristin, you're obviously among the large majority of critics praising the album, but I couldn't loathe this album more--and I'm speaking as someone who loved her previous album, "Extraordinary Machine," as an all-time favorite. The new album is relentlessly bleak to the point of being nihilistic. Life can be incredibly painful, but it’s still good--not to mention filled with beauty, love, and friendship. And when life is bad, isn’t it the case that we often bear some (not all, but some) of the responsibility? It seems like a fully mature human being would have the wisdom to see that. Beyond the tone of the album, however, I don't think her song-craft is is nearly as strong as on previous records.