Dan DaranciangFiona Apple
Extraordinary Machine
Grade: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
For fans of: Aimee Mann, Tori Amos
Songs to download: “Tymps (The Sick in the Head Song),” “Extraordinary Machine,” “O’ Sailor”
Bottom line: traditional Apple, but nothing extraordinary
After disappearing for nearly six years, Fiona Apple has reentered the spotlight with her more than long-awaited third album, “Extraordinary Machine.” Apple exploded onto the music scene back in 1996 with her triple platinum debut record, “Tidal.” After the lukewarm success of her second album “When the Pawn Hits.”, hopes were high that Apple would make a dramatic comeback with her next release.
So why the six-year hiatus? Fiona fanatics may know the true story – that Apple finished recording “Extraordinary Machine” in May 2003, but Sony/Epic Records didn’t think the album would sell and refused to release it. Even Apple herself felt insecure about the quality of the record. Lost and confused, the young artist retreated to Venice to rediscover herself. Meanwhile, a Fiona admirer obtained an early copy of “Extraordinary Machine” and released it on the Internet. A group of fans responded by launching the site freefiona.com and campaigned for Sony to release the album. After the issue caught the media’s attention, as the story goes, Sony gave Apple complete creative freedom. To cement her artistic vision, Apple sought guidance from Mike Elizondo, who has produced hits for hip-hop artists such as 50 Cent. The refurbished Elizondo version of “Extraordinary Machine” was finally released this October.
The finished product reveals a surprisingly optimistic turn from the dark, cynical path Apple followed from “Tidal” to “When the Pawn Hits…” The title track elegantly blends woodwinds, strings and bells, setting the tone of “Extraordinary Machine” with a lighthearted, ’50s-like bounce uncharacteristic of her previous albums. “Tymps (The Sick in the Head Song)” offers an intriguing melody and a contagious beat that has you instantly clapping along. Apple abandons her sultry alto voice on several songs and explores her high range, making the once “sullen” girl sound rather sweet. Yet within the album’s candy-coated chords seeps a hint of diminished confidence, particularly in the lyrics, which normally showcase Apple’s sophistication and skill as a poet. Certain lines in “Extraordinary Machine” resemble a teenager’s romantic woes: “So why did I kiss him so hard late last Friday night/And keep on lettin’ him change all my plans?” She makes up for such lyrical lapses elsewhere, unraveling into a double-time, rhythm-driven rant of emotional grievances in “Not About Love.” The complaints about “Extraordinary Machine” certainly do not negate the record’s overall appeal and several potentially addictive tracks. Fortunately, the album preserves the delightfully bitter undertone that first made fans fall in love with Apple; however, it seems doubtful that “Extraordinary Machine” will recreate the remarkable wave that “Tidal” produced 10 years ago.