|
japhyjunket |
|
THE
SIDEBAR |
|
2.02.2002
MUSIC REVIEW
Under Rug Swept, Alanis Morissette
Release date: 02.26.02
With recent album releases by Jewel and Natalie Merchant and the much-hyped comeback of Celine Dion, it's beginning to feel a little bit like 1995 all over again. Well, now with the release of Alanis Morissette's third major studio release, 'Under Rug Swept', it's official, Fox can start casting 'That 90's Show' anytime. 'Under Rug Swept' is in fact kind of a nostalgia trip in itself in that every song sounds vaguely like another Alanis song. Unlike her Material Girl boss, clearly Alanis feels no need to reinvent herself, focusing rather on sounding more and more like she always has on each new cut. All the trippy backwards-talk accusatory confessions are here in force and frankly are just as incomprehensible as ever.
This may be a blessing, however. When the lyrics are intelligible they are a sort of *ahem* whiny bitch 'I love you but you hurt me and that's why I love you' litany that tires quickly. However, when it comes to fantastic beats, unexpected harmonies and amazingly solid tunes worth listening to more than once, Alanis is still unparalleled in girl rock and there are very few guys out there who measure up as well. The opener, '21Things I Want in a Lover' is a fine example of this: If you can get past the manic laundry list lyric, you'll be treated to a fantastic rock song smoothly oiled with a few hip-hop tricks.
Other highlights include the expansive 'That Particular Time', a sort of 'Uninvited 2' that allows Alanis to make full use of her amazing vocal abilities. 'A Man' finds Alanis infusing electric guitar with sitar far more effectively than in her past efforts and ‘Narcissus’ is Alanis at her man-hating best. There isn't a weak song in the bunch, but nary a TRL single amongst them.
IN A NUTSHELL: If you've liked Alanis' sound in the past, you'll like 'Under Rug Swept'. If not, it may just lead to a really bad case of deja vu.
Comments:
Post a Comment
HOME | ARCHIVES | EMAIL
 
Is my Blog HOT
or NOT? This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. |
About Me
THE iRiver PLAYLIST THE BOOKLIST THE MOVIE LIST THINGS TO DO 8.5 Andy Warhol @ The Erotic Museum (9-12) Items marked with an asterisk [*] indicate a must see event. LET'S BUY ON EBAY! PEOPLE TO SEE PLACES TO GO RESEARCHING SELECTED JAPHYDEX JAPHY LOVES JAPHY HATES THINGS TO GOOGLE |