Extraordinary Machine

7.4	Rating (117 ratings)

Add to favorites

Edit page

Buy at Amazon

Performed by

Fiona Apple

Lists

38 votes

All Time Favorite Albums (188 items)
list by Andrew

Published 12 years, 3 months ago

3 comments

16 votes

Music Diary 2014: April-May (72 items)
list by ST9156

Published 9 years, 11 months ago

2 comments

9 votes

Women Who Rock: The 50 Greatest Albums of All Time (50 items)
list by JxSxPx

Published 5 years ago

9 votes

Most Depressing Albums List (241 items)
list by Attmfk

Published 10 years, 8 months ago

1 comment

7 votes

Rock Female Singers Top Albums (208 items)
list by Attmfk

Published 10 years, 8 months ago

4 comments

View all Extraordinary Machine lists (6 more)

Pictures

1 vote

View all Extraordinary Machine pictures (36 more)

Description: To say that the released version of Extraordinary Machine is a marked improvement over the bootlegged version is not to say that it sounds more complete -- after all, the booted Jon Brion productions sounded finished, as evidenced by the two cuts that were retained; the intricate chamber pop of the opening title track and the closing "Waltz (Better Than Fine)" are the only time Brion's productions not only suited, but enhanced Fiona Apple's songs -- but they are both more accessible, and more fully realized, letting Apple's songs breathe in a way they didn't on the original sessions. While Brion's productions were inte To say that the released version of Extraordinary Machine is a marked improvement over the bootlegged version is not to say that it sounds more complete -- after all, the booted Jon Brion productions sounded finished, as evidenced by the two cuts that were retained; the intricate chamber pop of the opening title track and the closing "Waltz (Better Than Fine)" are the only time Brion's productions not only suited, but enhanced Fiona Apple's songs -- but they are both more accessible, and more fully realized, letting Apple's songs breathe in a way they didn't on the original sessions. While Brion's productions were interesting, they stretched his carnivalesque aesthetic to the limit, ultimately obscuring Apple's songs, which were already fussier, artier, and more oblique than her previous work. When matched to Brion's elaborately detailed productions, her music became an impenetrable Wall of Sound, but Mike Elizondo's productions open these songs up, making it easier to hear Apple's songs while retaining most of her eccentricities. Now, Extraordinary Machine sounds like a brighter, streamlined version of When the Pawn, lacking the idiosyncratic arrangement and instrumentation of that record, yet retaining the artiness of the songs themselves. Like her second record, this album is not immediate; it takes time for the songs to sink in, to let the melodies unfold, and decode her laborious words (she still has the unfortunate tendency to overwrite: "A voice once stentorian is now again/Meek and muffled"). Unlike the Brion-produced sessions, peeling away the layers on Extraordinary Machine is not hard work, since it not only has a welcoming veneer, but there are plenty of things that capture the imagination upon first listen -- the pulsating piano on "Get Him Back," the moodiness of "O' Sailor," the coiled bluesy "Better Version of Me," the quiet intensity of the breakup saga "Window," the insistent chorus on "Please Please Please" -- which gives listeners a reason to return and invest time in the album. And once they do go back for repeated listens, Extraordinary Machine becomes as rewarding, if not quite as distinctive, as When the Pawn. Nevertheless, this is neither a return to the sultry, searching balladeering of Tidal, nor a record that will bring her closer to tasteful, classy Norah Jones territory, thereby making her a more commercial artist again. Extraordinary Machine may be more accessible, but it remains an art-pop album in its attitude, intent, and presentation -- it's just that the presentation is cleaner, making her attitude appealing and her intent easier to ascertain, and that's what makes this final, finished Extraordinary Machine something pretty close to extraordinary.

AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine ... (more)

Manufacturer: Sony
EAN: 0696998668324 UPC: 696998668324

Tags: Rock (2), Jazz (2), 2005 (2), Female Singer (2), Piano Rock (2), Female Artist (1), Indie (1), Chanteuse (1), Alt (1), Songwriter (1), Album (1), Female Vocalist (1), Vocalists (1), SD74 (1), 2000s (1), 2006 (1), Alt Rock (1), Cd-r (1), Piano (1), Angsty Chick (1)

My tags:

Add tags

Update feed

yellowhair posted 24 images [View All] 6 months, 1 week ago

ToonHead2102 added this to a list 1 year, 2 months ago

2,020 Albums You Must Hear Before the World Ends (1813 music items)

CD Smiles added this to a list 1 year, 4 months ago

Albums Heard in 2022 (Part 3) (70 music items)

"December 21st"

Brandon Carreon added this to a list 3 years, 9 months ago

Plan to Hear: Music Albums (55 music items)

Stehako added this to a list 4 years, 11 months ago

Best Albums of 2005 (50 music items)

" Fiona Apple "

JxSxPx added this to a list 5 years ago

Women Who Rock: The 50 Greatest Albums of All Time (50 music items)

"This complex song cycle wasn't easy to make – it took three years of sweat and turmoil. But since when would Fiona Apple do anything the easy way? Essential moment: "O Sailor," a showcase for her mournfully sultry vocals."

yellowhair posted 17 images [View All] 5 years ago

Listened to
Condition
Added date
Private notes Only visible to you
or cancel