Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters (first masterpiece of the 2020s!)

[cobl04]

I didn't even realise they had a forum, Imperor alerted me to it, but they got rid of it, I'm sure because they didn't want users talking about shit their service has gotten. The hike was insane, $60 in Australian terms for three months. I see they've just offered current members a one-time discount, so I'll cancel in January now instead of October, but it's infuriating, and even worse for overseas members, for whom their customer service is nearly non-existent, and tracking impossible to follow. I sent a complaint email and got a copy-paste reply. Surely they're going to have so many drop-offs.

 

[iron yuppie]

I feel like their stuff is just good enough to keep me around at the new price. But their margin for error now is basically zero. Another John Mayer situation would be the end.

They must have looked at the resale market and seen that almost all of their stuff goes for $40 or more. This will be a real test of their elasticity if I may use an economic term.

 

[gump]

The VMP reddit forum is livid, and a lot of people seem to have cancelled. The customer service problems also look widespread. I’m curious to see what happens in a few months. I read somewhere that the company was not particularly profitable so I wonder if this is a desperation move. The new price of $40 a record is really insane. I got some really good stuff from them and really loved both the White Stripes and Buena Vista Social Club releases (and Spiritualized looks awesome), but I can’t justify it anymore.

 

[iron yuppie]

Yeah I read the Reddit stuff as well, which was interesting but, as I'm sure you know, has a significant selection bias issue. The anger is justified, though, in the sense that VMP tried to roll out the price hike quietly as though no one would notice. That was an atrocious PR move.

It really does the beg the question of why someone wouldn't just buy on resale for a few dollars more but with the assurance of knowing it is something they really want rather than a shot in the dark every month.

 

[gump]

Oh yeah, not trying to argue that the Reddit community is representative. That said, it just felt that a lot of people are leaving the service, which can’t be good for its sustainability.

The Discogs option might be what I do from time to time after my membership expires. In fact I’ve been watching the Acabou Chorare release on Discogs for a while but it’s a bit pricey. I should have bought it when they had it in stock.

 

[cobl04]

I was quite keen on the Cornelius boxset but it would have come out to around $100.

 

[iron yuppie]

Out of curiosity how much do you guys spend on vinyl in an average month?

 

[gump]

Usually I buy 2-3 a month but it’s been a bit more than this during the quarantine with a bunch of sales that I found. So about $80-90 or so.

I will likely reduce that now because I’m at a point where I’m running out of storage space, especially for a NYC apartment.

 

[cobl04]

No idea. I buy more CDs / digital and tend to save vinyl for shit I really like.

 

[gump]

This is awesome:

 

[gump]

The story behind Shameika is pretty cool. With a bonus Fiona participation in her song.

Meet Shameika Stepney, Inspiration to Fiona Apple on Fetch the Bolt Cutters

 

[U2inUtah]

Wow that is a really cool story. Great article

 

[cobl04]

Pretty impressed on first listen. Wish we still talked about records in-depth around here though, disappointing to finally listen to it and see like next to no conversation. I bought the VMP exclusive vinyl, the purple is super pretty (although I think we've been sold a massive lie with regards to heavyweight vinyl, what a pain in the ass) and it has a really nice little lyric brochure.

I adored sides A and C, less so B and D, but yeah it's brilliant.

 

[cobl04]

Two of the best songs are, like, super old??? Have they changed much?

 

[lazarus]

I adored sides A and C, less so B and D, but yeah it's brilliant.

This is hard to decipher because there's no vinyl track breakdown on Wiki, but I definitely agree with you if this is the breakdown:

A
I Want You To Love Me
Shameika
Fetch The Bolt Cutters
Under the Table

B
Relay
Rack of His
Newspaper

C
Ladies
Heavy Balloon
Cosmonauts

D
For Her
Drumset
On I Go


Under The Table and Cosmonauts are my favorites along with the title track.

 

[gump]

Cosmonauts is my favorite song as well. It has that classic early Fiona feel when the piano starts (this and the beginning of Shameika make me think of When the Pawn... something like the piano kicking in during Limp for example). But then it gravitates so nicely between between quiet and loud moments and finally takes off with the crescendo on the second set of “start it offs” leading to the humming outro. so good.

There are just so many incredible moments throughout:

- I still think about the lyric “Evil is a relay sport when the one who's burned turns to pass the torch” all the time. Kind of a perfect 2020 line.

- “kick me under the table all you won’t, I won’t shut up” makes me laugh every time.

- While musically Ladies is not as impressive as some other songs, it might be my favorite song lyrically.

There's a dress in the closet
Don't get rid of it, you'd look good in it
I didn't fit in it, it was never mine
It belonged to the ex-wife of another ex of mine
She left it behind with a note, one line, it said
"I don't know if I'm coming across, but I'm really trying"
She was very kind

This feels like a big part of the message of the album right there.

I also really love how she sings the word “rumination” on this song.

- The drumming/percussion in Her is riveting (which is saying a lot given how good the drumming is), especially over the line “You arrive and drive by like a sauced up bat /Like you know you should know, but you don't know where it's at”

- And yeah, the opening trio is really incredible. The title track is just on a different songwriting level than anything else these days.

 

[cobl04]

This is hard to decipher because there's no vinyl track breakdown on Wiki, but I definitely agree with you if this is the breakdown:

A
I Want You To Love Me
Shameika
Fetch The Bolt Cutters
Under the Table

B
Relay
Rack of His
Newspaper

C
Ladies
Heavy Balloon
Cosmonauts

D
For Her
Drumset
On I Go


Under The Table and Cosmonauts are my favorites along with the title track.

Yep, spot on.

The album reminded me in spots of a favourite of ours, Cat Power's Sun, a record I still return to pretty regularly. Love that album.

Fetch the Bolt Cutters is indeed great. It made me reflect on my music growth a bit, I'm pretty sure I tried to listen to The Idler Wheel (how good is the full title, by the way) when it came out but found it impenetrable. I daresay I would have found this record the same back then, but I've come a long way.

My favourite tracks are I Want You to Love Me (the piano is astonishing), Ladies, Heavy Balloon and Cosmonauts, but there's not a bum track. I don't think it's the 10/10 masterpiece that many others believe it to be (maybe it will become that with time), and it won't be my fav record of the year, but it's really, really good.

It's also quite catchy throughout. (And funny.) The music from Rack of His has been getting stuck in my head.

 

[lazarus]

- While musically Ladies is not as impressive as some other songs, it might be my favorite song lyrically.

It's not one of the more complex arrangements compared to the kitchen sink approach of the others, but I actually love the laid back vibe of this one. Her vocal melody is the best part of it though, the delivery really smooth and slinky. And that falsetto?

To your point, I do love the sisterhood/women having each other's backs element of the lyric.

 

[lazarus]

It made me reflect on my music growth a bit, I'm pretty sure I tried to listen to The Idler Wheel (how good is the full title, by the way) when it came out but found it impenetrable. I daresay I would have found this record the same back then, but I've come a long way.

The Idler Wheel is definitely a tougher album still, IMO. Some people prefer it to this but I think the actual melodies on Bolt Cutters are more memorable. So you may not have had the trouble with it you suspect even if you heard it a few years back.

If you want to try another one, I'd go with When The Pawn next. I think you'll really dig the instrumentation and with Jon Brion producing, it sounds fucking great.

 

[gump]

It's not one of the more complex arrangements compared to the kitchen sink approach of the others, but I actually love the laid back vibe of this one. Her vocal melody is the best part of it though, the delivery really smooth and slinky. And that falsetto?



To your point, I do love the sisterhood/women having each other's backs element of the lyric.

Oh yeah. Her vocal performance is really fantastic there. She comes across as a “been there/done that” playful character speaking to younger women, but in an empathetic way, which fits the lyrics perfectly. Towards the end, especially after the “Yet another woman, to whom I won't get through”, her tone shifts to one of resignation and sadness. She’s so good.

 

[cobl04]

Anyone seen her live? A few of these tracks should fucking slap at a gig.

 

[beegee]

Anyone seen her live?

Yep. Six times.

 

[cobl04]

I'm not surprised how is she live?

 

[beegee]

I'm not surprised how is she live?

Amazing. The last time I saw her live was in 2012 but the most memorable show was in 2005, at House of Blues in Las Vegas. She was just incredible that night.

 

[gump]

It’s been almost a year, so I think I can do this:

1. Fetch the Bolt Cutters (10/10)
2. The Idler Wheel (10/10)
3. When the Pawn (9.5/10)
4. Tidal (8.5/10)
5. Extraordinary Machine (7/10)

 

[LemonMelon]

1. The Idler Wheel (10/10)
2. Fetch the Bolt Cutters (9.5/10)
3. When the Pawn (9/10)
4. Tidal (8.5/10)
5. Extraordinary Machine (7.5/10)