After
a seven year hiatus, Fiona Apple is back to offer a rather spectacular and
mind-bending lyrical experience with her fourth studio album, The Idler Wheel is Wiser Than Driver of the
Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do.
The extravagant title itself prepares listeners for what lies
in store with the 10-track exploration of life and romance – a musical experiment
compiled of expressive piano and drum compositions paired with soulful and
sometimes eerily-raw vocals. Simply referred to as The Idler Wheel, Apple mixes
heartbreak with humor, unrestrained emotion with vigorous and thrilling truths,
to contrive an untraditional album of art and soul that bubbles over with poppy
beats and catchy lyrical wit.
Fiona Apple first won acclaim with her 1998 album Tidal,
which included the hit single “Criminal.” Lyrically upfront and heavily
piano-driven, Apple has since become more vocally complex and instrumentally
experimental in her most recent album, with the help of her new producer and
touring drummer Charley Drayton.
On the album’s opening track “Every Single Night,” Apple
offers a glimpse into the inner turmoil of her psyche, struggling with the ongoing confliction that “Every single nights
alright/Every single nights a fight/With my brain/I just wanna feel everything.”
This message holds a strong undertone throughout the entire album – Apple
invites her fans to experience the inner workings of her mind and motivations
no matter how scattered, dramatic, or conflicted they may appear. Listeners must
prepare themselves to enter into a musical domain where questions go unanswered
and stories go unfinished, but where a pure sense of lyrical reconciliation and
peace still subsists at the conclusion of each track. Apple’s smooth, often
jazzy vocals clash with the harsh, loud, and sometimes unnerving instrumentals,
but combine together as a skillfully-crafted artistic experience. (Also be sure
to check out the bizarrely brilliant video for “Every Single Night,” where
Apple dons an octopus hat and serenades a grass bed full of snails).
In the song “Daredevil,” Apple seems to scream the lines
“Seek me out/Look at, look at, look at me/Wake me up/Give me, give me, give me
what you got.” Such brutal emotion and blunt honesty solidifies Apple as a
lyrical energy not to be reckoned with. She forces her audience to not only
listen to the beauty of each lyric, but to take heed of the emotional angst,
confusion, and truth that lies within each word. Even so, Apple still remains vocally
controlled and strong throughout, exemplifying her maturity and power as a
musical artist as well as a poet. Some other tracks to take notice of are
“Werewolf,” “Periphery,” and “Valentine.” The piano/drum combination blended
Apple has always been recognized for her powerful and soulful
vocals, and with this album her talent has only grown more so. It seems she has
more control over her voice, which gives her the chance to explore new
instrumental territories and deeper lyrical meaning. Apple is finally ready to
take on her life obstacles and demons, and with The Idler Wheel she allows her
fans to tag along for the tumultuous ride.
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