Jueves 3 May 2007, 19:31
EDIT: So, unexpectedly, I've found this review copied and pasted onto this celeb-watch cultural-commentary blog, without even so much of a "I copied this from lastFM," let alone a link, or my name, let alone a "hey do you mind if I use this." NOT cool. /EDIT
Over-all, American Doll Posse, the new Tori Amos album, is very good. Certainly, it's miles better than The Beekeeper, but beyond that I'm having trouble ranking it among her other albums. As a whole it seems so different from them, yet individual tracks are so clearly like previous releases (i.e. Code Red = from the choirgirl hotel, Smokey Joe = to venus and back, Father's Son = Scarlet's Walk, etc).
I don't know. It's puzzling. I think American Doll Posse's 'concept' of 5 characters or personae is mostly silly, but it does reflect the reality that this album does NOT have any sort of over-arching 'feel' to it. All of her previous albums do have that. Scarlet's Walk is characterized, in my mind, by warm 70's style singer-songwriter AM rock, for example.
But what is American Doll Posse? A tossed salad made up of her favourite classic rock albums, her songwriting heroes and inspirations, and her own back catalogue?
For a few years now, some fans have been saying "ditch the massive concepts! just release a collection of good songs!" Maybe that's what American Doll Posse is, except she even had to conceptualize the fact she was basically releasing a diverse group of (mostly) good songs. Tori Amos has never been able to let the music and songs speak for themselves, it seems.
Who knows. I find it hard to speak about the album as a whole, is my point.
Anyway, the point is, the album itself is, well, really rather good. I'll break the songs down and say a little bit about each one.
AWESOME (9-10 out of 10)
- Code Red. This has some of her deepest, spookiest vocals ever recorded. It's a dense, swirling soundscape haunted by bass piano, a la her late 90's material. Instant classic, one of the best tracks she's released this decade. 10.
- Smokey Joe. This is the creepiest song Tori Amos has released since . . . maybe since ever. The song chugs along, with multiple vocal tracks, menacing swirling electronics, minor key piano, and some good ol' fashioned crypitc dark lyrics. The electric guitars are mercifully atmospheric; they ruin a few moments on this album, but not here. This song MUST be heard on headphones. 10.
- Girl Disappearing. I love the string quartet. This song makes me think of Marianne, Leonard Cohen, and some of The Beatles' saddest songs. 9.6.
- Bouncing Off Clouds. This is a driving, catchy pop song that owes a lot to the late 80's — nuanced, multivalent, complex, both immediately appealing and rewarding over the long term. I say this as a huge Kate Bush fan — it's the best pop song Kate Bush never wrote. 9.4.
- Body and Soul. This is the most convincing "sexy" song Tori Amos has ever released. Hammering midtempo rhythm, fuzzy bass, nice deep bass piano, crashy chorus. 9.2
- Dragon. This great song has a few little flaws — I think the electric guitar at the end is ill-advised — but for the most part, it's one of those really good Tori Amos songs that's hard to categorize. It's not a ballad per se, it's certainly not a rocker . . . it's just a really good, interesting song, with a nice, deep, somewhat menacing piano motif and sparse, interesting accompaniment from other instruments. 9.
Very Good or Great (7.5 - 8.9 out of 10)
- Beauty of Speed. This is a wonderful song. I initially thought it was ruined by horrible production and overly-busy arrangement, but a close listen on a good pair of headphones partially changed my mind. 8.8
- Father's Son. This is easy to miss at first, but it has a meditative power and deserves attention. Very Scarlet's Walk. 8.6.
- Big Wheel This is her best single since A Sorta Fairytale. Very Lynyrd Skynard stompy southern piano bar rock. Stompy. Oh, and the MILF bridge is ironic. 8.5
- Teenage Hustling. This is a great early-Queen style rocker. Energy to spare. Gets a bit repetitive and goes on a bit too long, though. 8.2.
- Digital Ghost. A good ballad with some great lyrics, but it sounds a bit too fey at the start, and a bit too guitar-driven once it gets going. It may grow on me. 8
- Dark Side of the Sun. I've yet to absorb it. I know I like it, but I don't know how much I like it. I like the power in her voice during the "how many young men" bit. 7.9
- Velvet Revolution Gasp! she remembers what rubato is! This song is almost too short, almost too inconsequential, almost too much of a pastiche, to rate, but I like it. 7.7
Special "Great Song Hidden Under Inappropriate Arrangement and Production" Award
- Almost Rosey. For serious. Some of her best lyrics in years, a great melody and piano bit, but produced as if it were a late 80's powerballad. Overbearing guitar, out of place drums that artificially up the tempo . . . the solo live performances show us a heartbreaking glimpse at what might-have-been for this song. Oh, those lyrics and melody are just so good!. 7.2 — but it coulda been 9 or higher, if the stars had aligned differently.
Good, Fun — more Fun than Good? (6-7.5 out of 10)
- Secret Spell. Unjustly reviled. A Fleetwood Mac style swirling jangly guitar pop-rock song with a great melody and some good lyrics. I imagine a lot of people who may not like Tori Amos might like this. 7.5
- You Can Bring Your Dog. A Led Zeppelin style rocker. The "ooh ooh ooh" hook is killer, the swagger is great, but something about it just doesn't gel right for me. Maybe it goes on too long? 7.2
- Programmable Soda. Another Beatles-esque song — almost too short and cute to rank, but the orchestral arrangement is serious fun times. 6.8
- Mr. Bad Man. Ridiculously like an uptempo mid-career Beatles song, like Penny Lane. A fun, bouncy old-timey pop song. Hating it is like hating an affectionate puppy, but it's nothing wildly impressive either. 6.6
- Posse Bonus. For what it is — a cute improv to demarcate the 'proper' album from the bonus tracks — it is way better than it needs to be. The bassline is grooving, the melody is so catchy, and it even has a few good lines ("their ideas are fried in fat"). Should be a throwaway and in a sense it is, but it's actually good, in its way. 6.5
- Roosterspur Bridge. Despite being the album's The Beekeeper backwash, I actually like it better than 1/2 of the songs that are actually on The Beekeeper. Cheesy, but not without appeal. 6
I could take it or leave it
Yo George. Simple, polite piano, cringe-worthy lyrics, heavy-handed ham-fisted introduction of the album's supposed 'theme' — bleah. 4.5
N/A
- Fat Slut
These two songs are so short they just can't be considered alongside the others. D&G has a nice medieval arrangement that needs to be heard on headphones. Fat Slut is like My Bloody Valentine with angry shouty Tori from 1996 making a brief cameo. Neither are bad, but neither are long or substantial enough to really be good, either.