Album Review: Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel Is Wiser than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More than Ropes Will Ever Do

Fiona Apple
The Idler Wheel Is Wiser than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More than Ropes Will Ever Do
Rating: Woof Daddy

Uncompromising and stubborn, Fiona Apple always follows her own path. Following the success of her debut album Tidal and her hit single "Criminal," Apple refused to let that success determine the direction of her career. She could have easily chosen to repeat that formula over and over again, exploiting herself and her songs, and yet, she forged ahead with her unique vision. Following Tidal with a second album with a ridiculously long title (the album shorthanded as When the Pawn... actually is a poem with over 400 characters) and a much more inscrutable trajectory, Apple made no bones about her eccentricity, and even seemed to revel in it. This eccentricity, however, caused many issues between Apple and her record label. The follow up, entitled Extraordinary Machine, was recorded over a period of several years and found its release date delayed several times, leading to the assumption that Apple's label was unhappy with its commercial prospects. After an Internet campaign to the get the album released, leaked versions of the album, and more delays, the album was released to universal acclaim, showcasing more elaborate instrumentation and songwriting; a far cry from the relative simplicity of Tidal. Not much has been heard from Apple since that release. After promoting the album, Apple basically disappeared from public view to work on songs.

Seven years later (and with much less controversy), Apple finally releases the follow up, The Idler Wheel... (again with the long, drawn out album title), and again changes direction. Where Extraordinary Machine threw everything but the kitchen sink into the mix, The Idler Wheel has a much more limited palate, primarily focusing on Apple's piano with some percussive effects provided by drummer/producer Charley Drayton. The Idler Wheel is not an easy album to warm to; Apple's opaque, looping lyrics and the minimal, yet flourished musical backing initially keep one at arm's length. But listen after listen, the album finds a way to seep into your veins; a turn of phrase, a delightful piano melody, or even an odd use of percussion hook you deep into its spell.

The lyrics on The Idler Wheel deal mostly with relationships; most of which are not exactly happy ones. Further, there are themes throughout regarding the push and pull between innocence and experience, and Apple's constant fight with her brain and her heart. First single and first track "Every Single Night" sums things up pretty brilliantly with the line "Every single night's a fight/With my brain."



On "Werewolf," Apple details a disastrous coupling, likening her lover to a werewolf or shark, but also taking blame for being the cause of so much of the trouble, singing "And I could liken you to a shark the way you bit off my head
But then again I was waving around a bleeding open wound."



On the over-the-top eccentric "Left Alone," Apple reflects over her love life and sees how her experiences have turned her hard and jaded, asking the question "How can I ask anyone to love me/When all I do is beg to be left alone." All the while the instrumentation, barely controlled piano rolls and rustling percussion echo the mindset of the narrator, with Apple's voice flying off the map at times in connection.



Apple is her worst critic, pouring out song after song of love gone bad, ruined chances, and defeated purposes. The gorgeously sinister piano ballad "Valentine" is a blood soaked revenge poem to an ex. In "Daredevil," Apple doesn't "feel anything until I smash it up." While the shadowy, showstopping "Regret" is a brutal kiss off to a lover who turned her into someone she didn't want to be, spitting out at him "I ran out of white dove feathers/To soak up the hot piss that comes through your mouth/Every time you address me."



The album is full of odd, strange sounds that create a tension between the organic piano and the almost industrial borrowing atmospheric effects. From the pitter-pattering percussion in "Daredevil," factory-like sounds in "Jonathan," to what sounds like clattering pots and pans along with crunching snow shoes in "Periphery," there is an amazing sonic architecture to these tracks, creating amazing worlds that constantly fold and unfold on themselves. With that said, it is a difficult record to fully embrace at first, taking multiple listens to get into the flow and universe of the album. And unfortunately, it is one you will either fully love or not understand at all. I am thankful that I was able to penetrate its hard shell and get to the meat inside. The Idler Wheel is a phenomenal record that is a pure, experimental pop classic.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.