Feb 12 2022

Album Review: Fiona Apple – When the Pawn… (#MWE)

The full album title of When the Pawn… would get me halfway to my word count goal; it’s a poem Fiona Apple wrote as a response to haters of a cover story on her in SPIN Magazine. And the title isn’t the only area where Apple proves her worth; lyrical maturity, ferocious vocal delivery, and sturdy piano pop craft are the consistent frameworks on her second album, a work that built the blueprint for which all projects from the artist would follow.

I admittedly am more familiar with Apple’s more recent work, but When the Pawn…, to my naive ears, sounds like the moment when the young songwriter put it all together. The foundation of her unique sound was honed to near perfection, and was only improved upon over time. In this sophomore album, which saw significant critical acclaim upon release, though diminished commercial performance would follow, Apple combines gradual lyrical maturity, passionate vocal delivery, and spellbinding, confrontational melodies. Opener “On the Bound,” with its faith-focused mantra, is a solid intro, while singles “Limp” and “Paper Bag” are immediate highlights. Lead single “Fast As You Can,” meanwhile, is an instant Fiona Apple classic from the first notes.

Apple’s output became more sporadic, but evolved into unbelievably captivating listens. Her latest effort Fetch the Bolt Cutters shows just how far her imagination has taken her. We weren’t treated to quite the same result on When the Pawn… but you can hear her getting there, taking her time. It was worth the wait, and the journey was just as exciting as what it ultimately produced.

Score: 8/10


Jul 16 2012

Quarterly Review – April-June 2012

Once every three months I list the best of what I heard in albums/songs/remixes for the quarter. I do this to personally keep up with all the awesome music I hear, as it ultimately helps me at the end of the year when I do my overall listing for the previous twelve months. I also do it to introduce you cool cats to tunes you may have missed independently.


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Jun 5 2012

New Fiona Apple – Werewolf

This is the second leaked track from The Idler Wheel…, which has a slated release date of June 26th. I’m very excited to hear the first new album from Fiona in many years, and this is yet another song that hints at an excellent comeback.


Apr 23 2012

New Fiona Apple – “Every Single Night”

Fiona Apple played her first official show in seven years at Stubb’s during SXSW, and I’m proud to say I was there and she was just amazing. She played this new track, “Every Single Night” at that show, and I remember it very well; the song will be a part of her highly anticipated new album The Idler Wheel, which hits stores brick-and-mortar and digital on June 19th. Listen below.