Release Date:
Genre: Indie, Jazz, Experimental
The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do.
That is the 23-word title to Fiona Apple's latest album. Apple has been silent since Extraordinary Machine came out back in 2005. She's spent the past few years agonizing over the tracks, title, and every creative component for her latest album, and, as usual, it shows. One thing that we have come to expect from Fiona Apple is that she will not disappoint us. Seven years was worth the wait, and we now have yet another soulful, inventive, ecclectic masterpiece in The Idler Wheel.
I will always give Apple credit for being inventive in her music. She has found a way to create a distinct sound, all her own, while still bringing something new to music each time she writes. Her lyrics (even her titles) are soulful, deep, full of meaning, longing, heartache, heartbreak, and every other span of human emotion. What you won't find on her albums are autotune, a catchy hook, or dubstep tracks. THANK GOODNESS! Her music is refreshing in an industry overflowing with Justin Biebers and Deadmau5.
Every track on The Idler Wheel feels more like artwork than mainstream music. If Apple's songs were paintings, her songs would be the oil paintings of Monet or Van Gogh or Picasso of the music industry, while Taylor Swift and Chris Brown churn out sidewalk chalk drawings on street corners 10 minutes before a thunderstorm. The first single, "Every Single Night," is something that I think a lot of people can relate to - that fight that many of us go through every night to shut out brain off. Most of Apple's lyrics seem to do a great job of being thoroughly relatable. The stripped down style of her songs, mainly piano and bell tones and a slight hint of percussion, highlight her poignant lyrics throughout the album.
It wouldn't be a Fiona Apple album without at least one killer breakup track, and this time around it's "Werewolf." Any song that likens a guy to a werewolf (and a shark and volcano and a lightning bolt) is probably about a breakup. This isn't the Twilight, fuzzy, puppy dog looking werewolf. This guy really broke her heart. The imagery in this one is vivid, and paints the picture of Apple wishing someone was dead, either her or him. This masochistic theme is common in her music, and really strikes a cord with fans. At the same time, I can also understand how it might intimidate some people. Then again, she's been intimidating the music industry at large since 1996.
If you're willing to venture outside of the box of convential pop music, Apple's The Idler Wheel... is a great place to start. There's artistry and invention to be appreciated in every second recorded. However, this review comes with a warning: the content is not for the faint of heart.
