Vol.2, No. 12 December 2005
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Extraordinary Machine
Fiona Apple, Sony BMG Music
It's been six years since the sultry and sullen singer Fiona Apple released an album. Her lateste effort, Extraordinary Machine, was worth the wait, though the disc has had an odd and difficult birth. After her Grammy-winning Tidal and follow-up When the Pawn..., Apple went into self-imposed exile and was ready to put the music world behind her. She was coaxed back into the studio by friend and producer Jon Brion, who cut several tracks with the singer. Then a strange thing happened. Not entirely satisfied with the songs, Apple took on a new producer, Mike Elizondo, and began reworking the tracks, much to the consternation of her record company, Epic, which was putting pressure on her to release material. In the meantime, two songs from the Brion sessions were leaked onto the web, which led to the creation of a website, FreeFiona.com, by zealous fans who thought Epic was shelving the album. All this seems appropriate for an artist who is known as much for her eccentricities as her songwriting.
Whatever the controversy, Extraordinary Machine emerges as a solid and enjoyable listen. As she did on her previous albums, Apple works in a confessional mode, with lyrics that range from reflective to angry on songs such as "O'Sailor," "Better Version of Me," and "Red, Red, Red." She even has a rebuke on the song "Please, Please, Please," to people who want her to repeat herself, which she seems determined not to do.
Apple's rhymes and her rhythms are intricate and mature. Her outlook on relationships, which she seems to define herself by, has also matured. Gone is the adolescent sulkiness that ran through some of her earlier work. She's more seasoned now, less apt to fall back on self-laceration. On the title track (which is one of the two produced by Brion that remain on the album) she sings, "Be kind to me, or treat me mean / I'll make the most of it, I'm an extraordinary machine." For an artist who was ready to turn her back on her music, this seems a stronge and triumphant coda. Let's hope we don't have to wait another six years for her next album.
