Extraordinary Machine

by Fiona Apple

Overview

To say that the released version of Extraordinary Machine is a marked improvement over the bootlegged version is not to say that it sounds more complete -- after all, the booted Jon Brion productions sounded finished, as evidenced by the two cuts that were retained; the intricate chamber pop of the opening title track and the closing "Waltz (Better Than Fine)" are the only time Brion's productions not only suited, but enhanced Fiona Apple's songs -- but they are both more accessible, and more fully realized, letting Apple's songs breathe in a way they didn't on the original sessions. While Brion's productions were interesting, they stretched his carnivalesque aesthetic to the limit, ultimately obscuring Apple's songs, which were already fussier, artier, and more oblique than her previous work. When matched to Brion's elaborately detailed productions, her music became an impenetrable Wall of Sound, but Mike Elizondo's productions open these songs up, making it easier to hear Apple's songs while retaining most of her eccentricities. Now, Extraordinary Machine sounds like a brighter, streamlined version of When the Pawn, lacking the idiosyncratic arrangement and instrumentation of that record, yet retaining the artiness of the songs themselves. Like her second record, this album is not immediate; it takes time for the songs to sink in, to let the melodies unfold, and decode her laborious words (she still has the unfortunate tendency to overwrite: "A voice once stentorian is now again/Meek and muffled"). Unlike the Brion-produced sessions, peeling away the layers on Extraordinary Machine is not hard work, since it not only has a welcoming veneer, but there are plenty of things that capture the imagination upon first listen -- the pulsating piano on "Get Him Back," the moodiness of "O' Sailor," the coiled bluesy "Better Version of Me," the quiet intensity of the breakup saga "Window," the insistent chorus on "Please Please Please" -- which gives listeners a reason to return and invest time in the album. And once they do go back for repeated listens, Extraordinary Machine becomes as rewarding, if not quite as distinctive, as When the Pawn. Nevertheless, this is neither a return to the sultry, searching balladeering of Tidal, nor a record that will bring her closer to tasteful, classy Norah Jones territory, thereby making her a more commercial artist again. Extraordinary Machine may be more accessible, but it remains an art-pop album in its attitude, intent, and presentation -- it's just that the presentation is cleaner, making her attitude appealing and her intent easier to ascertain, and that's what makes this final, finished Extraordinary Machine something pretty close to extraordinary. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	10/04/2005
Label:	Bmg / Bmg / Sony Music / Sony Music Entertainment
UPC:	0886919823226

Tracks

1. Extraordinary Machine
2. Get Him Back
3. O' Sailor
4. Better Version of Me
5. Tymps (The Sick in the Head Song)
6. Parting Gift
7. Window
8. Oh Well
9. Please Please Please
10. Red Red Red
11. Not About Love
12. Waltz (Better Than Fine)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Fiona Apple   Primary Artist,Vocals,Piano
Zac Rae   Various Instruments,Vibraphone,Farfisa Organ,ARP Synthesizer,String Ensemble,Arp String Ensemble,Organ,Piano,Celeste,Marimba,Optigan,Clavinet,Harmonium,Keyboards,Wurlitzer,Chamberlin,Marxophone,Pump Organ,Tack Piano
Mike Elizondo   Various Instruments,Bass,Guitar,Clavinet,Mellotron,Moog Bass,Bass (Upright)
Jebin Bruni   Keyboards,Chamberlin,Portasound
Keefus Ciancia   Keyboards
Jon Brion   Bass,Marimba
Questlove   Drums
Abe Laboriel, Jr.   Drums,Percussion
Brian Kehew   Guitar,Keyboards,Co-Producer,Fuzz Guitar,Farfisa Organ
Benmont Tench   Organ
Jim Keltner   Drums
Glenn Berger   Flute,Saxophone
Dave Palmer   Keyboards
John Daversa   Trumpet
Keith Ciancia   Keyboards
Roger Manning   Keyboards
Michael Bliden   Director
Spencer Maggart   Director
Brad Warnaar   French Horn
George Thatcher   Trombone

Technical Credits

Brian Kehew   Audio Production,Producer
Mike Elizondo   Audio Production,Engineer,Producer,Programming,Drum Programming
Fiona Apple   Composer,Producer,Cover Photo
Jon Brion   Producer,Orchestral Arrangements
Brian Gardner   Mastering
Abe Laboriel, Jr.   Programming
Tom Biller   Engineer
Dave Way   Mixing
DJ Paul   Post Production
Adam Hawkins   Engineer
Lionel Deluy   Photography
John Daversa   Horn Arrangements
Aimee MacAuley   Art Direction
Autumn de Wilde   Photography
Zach Galifianakis   Choreographer
Ellen Tunney   Still Pictures
Josh Latham   Engineer
Mark Flanagan   MC
Bob "Ba Ba Ba" Bruno   Lighting
Cash Hartzell   Associate Producer
Eric Grush   Editing
Michael Bliden   Editing
Spencer Maggart   Producer
Patrick Warren   Orchestral Arrangements
Scott Fritz   Engineer