It’s been 8 long years since we’ve heard from singer-songwriter, pianist and Grammy Award winner, Fiona Apple. She has returned with her fifth studio album, Fetch The Bolt Cutters, which has received widespread critical acclaim and with many now deeming an “instant classic” and a “masterpiece”. It has definitely sent shockwaves through the industry for it’s unique sound and forward thinking lyrics.
Fetch The Bolt Cutters comes out at a very unique time with the world being in lockdown due to COVID-19, the album becomes a beacon of salvation for musicians everywhere. The majority of the album was recorded entirely at Fiona‘s house and utilises many household objects to create percussive sounds, which provide an incredible ambiance and tone for the album. It is also very minimalistic with mainly percussion, piano and vocals being the driving force for all the tracks.
That being said, it still in moments feels like Fiona is backed by a large ensemble and doesn’t feel empty in any way, showing her masterful approach to home style recording techniques. I personally love this idea, where the drums and percussion are in the forefront and determine the tone of the song, it’s nothing like I’ve heard before. The piano sound is amazing, it’s so present and lush it feels like your sitting at it with Fiona, hammering through these songs.
The songs themselves are definitely very interesting too, breaking away from pop normalities, the songs are unpredictable in terms of structure and unbound by any rules. Fiona‘s vocals are very raw but also highly emotional in their approach and with the combination of the house recording style choice, it’s a complex culmination that feels profoundly human. It’s extremely unique and honestly I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything like this before. The lyrics are ambitious as well, with Fiona being able to paint a vivid picture in your mind as she creates matter-of-fact depictions of everyday brutalities, but still gives off a sense of playfulness to it’s harshness. She sounds razor sharp, intimate and not overly polished which again adds to the overall aesthetic.
Unfortunately I do have a few issues with this album though. As much as I love the sound and the creativity, I feel like the album drags on and the overall idea get’s old real quick. Once your six tracks deep into this thirteen track album, the unpredictability of the songs gets frustrating and tiring. I can appreciate this album, but I feel like the majority of the public wont, and that can be a major issue for a musician. With the stylistic choice of being so different your creating a minority for your audience and not allowing your music to be accessible for everyone. This could well and truly be a masterpiece of an album, but not everyone will or want to appreciate it. Maybe Fiona doesn’t want to be commercially successful and would rather appeal to a more niche audience, then I’m all for that, but as a musician I want the whole world to hear this incredible sound she has created.
I also felt that a handful of songs could have been reworked and in some regards were a little safe. For example on Relay, Fiona is repeating the same line over and over again, “Evil is a relay sport, when the one who’s burnt turns to pass the torch“, which I felt was a missed opportunity to explore that line even further. It comes off unfinished and needing something more, possibly some more instruments? As the album comes to it’s conclusion, it also just fizzles out and doesn’t culminate to anything, leaving the listener underwhelmed since the first half of the album is so ecstatically charged with energy.
So I’m torn, I love the sound and production, I love the idea and it’s execution, I love a handful of tracks that I can repeatedly listen to. I loved my first reaction to this album, that feeling of “what the hell was that?” but I also feel like it could have been so much more. I needed more, this album for me, could have reached even higher heights if there was more exploration with the instrumentation and even the song structures. Even the melodies at times weren’t always engaging, and you’ve always got to have that hook, that brings listeners back.
It’s funny, in my mind I am constantly comparing this album to The Beach Boys masterpiece, Pet Sounds. Both albums are extremely similar in the sense of a single writer and composer, using an assortment of unfamiliar instruments to pop, creating a lush world of ambience and writing about the struggles of life. They also both feature dogs barking in the background! The thing with Pet Sounds though, as brilliant of an album it is, it set off a reaction and inspired the creation that many consider to be one of the greatest albums ever made, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonley Hearts Club Band. My only thinking is, is Fetch The Bolt Cutters, our generations Pet Sounds? Who will it inspire and what will come of it? I can’t wait to see.
ALD REVIEWS 