Flavors of Entanglement

by Alanis Morissette

Overview

The running joke goes like this: as soon as Alanis Morissette suffered a heartbreak like she did prior to Jagged Little Pill, she would once again write lyrics as vitriolic as confessional as that 1995 breakthrough. As any tabloid follower knows -- and really, in the new millennium we all follow the tabloids whether we like it or not -- Alanis split from fiance Ryan Reynolds after the release of 2004's So-Called Chaos, an album that floated joyously on her newfound love, so it's no great stretch to see its 2008 follow-up, Flavors of Entanglement, as its opposite, a classic breakup record. And it is, filled with songs of heartbreak, anger, and regret, along with a healthy dose of self affirmation -- or at least it seems that way, as Alanis' words are harder than ever to parse, a mangled web of garbled syntax, overheated metaphors, and mystifying verbal contortions all requiring too much effort to decode. In that sense, it's a lot like Jagged Little Pill, but musically this is far closer to the muddled mystic worldbeat of Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, thanks in large part to her collaboration with Guy Sigsworth, best known for his productions with Bjoerk and Madonna. Given his resume, it should come as no great surprise that Sigsworth gives Flavors of Entanglement some adventurous textures and drum loops, even electronically altered voices on occasion, but this is no dance record; it's a claustrophobic, cluttered adult pop album underpinned by a hazy new age sensibility, best heard (if not best articulated) on "Citizen of the Planet," a thick swirling dirge which serves as an appropriate opening salvo for this dense murk, where the music is almost as impenetrable as the lyrics. Coming after the streamlined Under Rug Swept and light So-Called Chaos, this return to insularity is a bit startling yet it's welcome, both for those who find a personal connection within Alanis' accidentally cryptic confessions and those who like to listen to her ramblings with their mouths agape, as this overspills with emotional and musical dissonance, the kind that made her phenomenal success on Jagged Little Pill improbable and her slow descent into high-end liberal lifestyle music after Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie quite understandable. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	06/10/2008
Label:	Maverick
UPC:	0093624993544

Tracks

1. Citizen of the Planet
2. Underneath
3. Straitjacket
4. Versions of Violence
5. Not as We
6. In Praise of the Vulnerable Man
7. Moratorium
8. Torch
9. Giggling Again for No Reason
10. Tapes
11. Incomplete

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Alanis Morissette   Primary Artist,Vocals
Andy Page   Bass,E-Bow,Guitar,Ukulele,Synthesizer,Guitar (Bass),Synthesizer Bass,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Billy Bush   Drums
Blair Sinta   Drums
Guy Sigsworth   Fender Rhodes,Sound Effects,Tubular Bells,Bass Harmonica,Prepared Piano,Bass,Bells,Cello,E-Bow,Organ,Piano,Tabla,Shaker,Zither,Celeste,Strings,Triangle,Keyboards,Harpsichord,Synthesizer,Choir/Chorus,Handclapping,Drums (Snare),Piano (Electric),Synthesizer Bass,Vocals (Background)
Sean McGhee   Vocals (Background)
Jared Nugent   Piano
Suzie Katayama   Conductor
Peter Freeman   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Jess Sutcliffe   Strings
Ben Tolliday   Guitar
The Crocked Chorale   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Heather Heron   Photography
Frank Ockenfels   Cover Photo
Andy Bradfield   Mixing
Andy Page   Mixing,Engineer,Mastering,Pro-Tools,Recording,Processing,Sound Design,Audio Engineer,Digital Editing,Drum Programming,Synthesizer Programming
Guy Sigsworth   Piano Effects,Arranger,Composer,Lyricist,Producer,Programming,Drum Producer,Drum Programming
Andrei Maberley   Writer
Chris Owens   Assistant
Sean McGhee   Engineer,Pro-Tools,Recording,Programming,Audio Engineer,Digital Editing,Synthesizer Programming
Jared Nugent   Assistant
Alanis Morissette   Composer,Lyricist,Photography
Ben Tolliday   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Fiora Cutler   Arranger
Frank Maddocks   Design,Photography,Creative Director,Photo Manipulation