Hello and welcome back to Record of the Week. This week, the Randomizer gives us one of the first big albums to be released in the lockdown era, Fiona Apple's Fetch the Bolt Cutters. The copy on my turntable is the purple Vinyl Me Please edition.
This album came out in April of 2020, when we all pretty much realized we weren't going to be leaving the house too often. There were a few things I remember surrounding the album.
- When it was announced, it was a very welcome distraction. Something to look forward to as we were confined to our homes listening to President Dumbfuck telling us to inject bleach into our veins.
- Also, It was a new Fiona Apple album. As we all know, those are few and far between, so it's cause for celebration anytime we get one.
- We knew it would be good (it's Fiona, come on) but when it finally arrived, we found out that it was really fucking good. And it still is!
She recorded this in her own home, it's very percussion-heavy. Some of it sounds like she just picked up random pots, pans and boxes that were at hand. There are parts that sound like chopsticks tapping on tables and plates (which is what I did when I was a kid, and sometimes still do). You can even hear her dogs barking at some point. It's a super distinctive album and it simultaneously does and doesn't sound like Fiona Apple. Honestly, I can't even think of another album that feels like this. None of these songs sound like they are ready-made for radio or charts. This album is produced and mixed just enough but it still feels almost like you're listening live in her living room.
She does all this musically while still retaining the essence of Fiona in the lyrics. She remembers someone from her childhood who saw her as she was. She dissects her anger with surgical precision. She'll always be breaking down a past relationship or another. That's Fiona, forever singing her truth.
Easily one of the best albums of the 20s (and probably beyond), Fetch the Bolt Cutters is very much a recommended listen. This is an album that demands repeat listens. As I mentioned, there are no radio-friendly singles. It's an album that has kinda distilled the essence of Fiona. While it doesn't sound like anything she's done before, it's still very much her.