Now, it’s Friday and so it’s time for some music – a bit longer than usual, forgive me
There are plenty of artists that I love and admire and could listen to all day and all night, but I would probably have to point to two that rank above the rest for me.
One is Sufjan Stevens, who I am pretty sure I have pointed to here previously, and the other is Fiona Apple (those with a keen eye might have spotted me rocking my “My favorite kind of Apple” t-shirt before).
Fiona is a distinctive singer-songwriter who maybe best falls into the “Art Pop” genre, as she makes songs that often aren’t easy-listening on the first run-through. But the payoff, if one does stick to it, can be pretty rewarding.
After 8 years of silence, “Fetch the Bolt Cutters” saw the light of day early 2020 to universal critical acclaim. It is raw and intimate, both thematically and on account of it being recorded at Apple’s home without much post-production cleaning (you can hear her dogs barking in the background on some tracks, for example), and explores topics like feminism, vulnerability, self-discovery and empowerment. Few people sound as cathartic as Fiona often does.
It’s an album that demands attention in numerous ways, taking unexpected turns throughout, but hitting with often humorous and punchy lines (“I would beg to disagree, but begging disagrees with me”).
There’s plenty more to be said (e.g. about the release somewhat fittingly coinciding with the start of the pandemic), but instead of listening to me, better listen to the album!
Coryphe 