The Idler Wheel Is Wiser than the Driver of the Screw, And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More than Ropes Will Ever Do＜完全生産限定盤＞

2012年発売 Fiona Apple(フィオナ・アップル)の4thアルバム『The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do』(アナログ盤)

2012年にリリースされた、Fiona Apple(フィオナ・アップル)の前作から7年振りとなる4thアルバム『The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do』。「ウェアウルフ」、「ホットナイフ」、「エブリー・シングル・デイ」他を収録。

So much of the drama surrounding Fiona Apple's third album, Extraordinary Machine, focused on its recording and release -- how the original Jon Brion productions were scrapped in favor of new versions helmed by Mike Elizondo, all fueling fan panic and an Internet protest pleading for a free Fiona -- that ultimately all the clamor obscured Apple herself, both her songs and performances. She runs no such risk on The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do, her fourth album, arriving some seven years after Extraordinary Machine. Alone with her voice, piano, and percussionist Charley Drayton, Apple has nowhere to hide, nor does she give any indication she'd prefer to run. These spare but not skeletal arrangements -- each cut is subtly colored with harmonies, slight effects, overlapping rhythms, and additional keyboards -- never shift focus away from Fiona's magnetic vocals, the human element pulling us into these songs. Some hooks are stronger than others -- "Periphery" cuts to the quick, whereas "Every Single Night" surges -- but what was rumored about Extraordinary Machine is actually true about The Idler Wheel: there are no singles here, nothing concise and concentrated to facilitate an easy sell. But that's not to say that The Idler Wheel is alienating. As elliptical as the melodies and words can be, the music is immediate and the songs unfold quickly, certain turns of phrase or thrilling runs swiftly seeping into the subconscious. Lacking either ornate production or a pop single, The Idler Wheel plays like Fiona Apple at her purest and that's plenty complicated: she takes no shortcuts or easy turns, her intent somewhat shrouded but never absent. Much of the charm of Apple's music isn't decoding what it all means but learning its internal clockwork, letting the songs take root, so the love songs ("Jonathan") seem sweeter, the braggadocio ("Hot Knife") funnier, the pathos ("Valentine," "Regret") and paranoia ("Werewolf") feeling fathomless. Once the startling Spartan surfaces of The Idler Wheel become familiar, similarities to her three previous albums are apparent -- she takes certain jazzy strides that hark back to Tidal, there's a rigorous dexterity reminiscent of When the Pawn -- but what's new is an unwavering determination and cohesion. Nothing is wasted, either in the composition or arrangement, and this lean confidence binds The Idler Wheel. Stripped of all her carnivalesque accouterments, Fiona Apple remains as rich and compelling as she ever was, perhaps even more so. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

歌のアルバムだ。長いタイトルに構えてしまうが、1曲1曲は短めだし、サウンドは総じてシンプル。歌詞もすっきりしている。それゆえに歌そのものがダイレクトに飛び込んできて、彼女の感情が生々しく伝わる。ヴォーカリストとしての圧倒的な表現力がこれまで以上に際立っている。無駄が一切ない。無駄な音を鳴らさないという意志に貫かれている。ピアノですら過去の作品に比べると控えめで、歌を引き立てる道具として鳴らされている。短めなサンプルの反復が多用されていて、それが実に効果的。サウンドはシンプルと書いたが、正しくはシンプルに響くよう工夫がなされているということだ。7年の時間を埋めて余りある傑作。めちゃくちゃ音のいいホールでこの作品の再現ライヴを観てみたい。
bounce (C)内本順一