“Evil is a relay sport when the one who is burned turns to pass the torch.” – Relay
Reviews for the album Fetch The Bolt Cutters by Fiona Apple sound like a blockbuster film. The Guardian exclaims her new music is “a sudden glorious eruption.” Pitchfork shouts “an unyielding masterpiece!” The Boston Globe gushes it is “a thrill ride.” And NME asserts it to be “a visceral listening experience.” In the midst of a pandemic, Fiona Apple quietly released an album for the benefit of those in self-isolation while also avoiding stressful press interviews. Fetch The Bolt Cutters provides a fresh sound to our tired ears of 2020. Fiona Apple captures parts of humanity that often are ignored by popular culture and weaves the theme of hope for freedom through it all.
What immediately jumps out on Fetch the Bolt Cutters is its unique musicality. The voice of Fiona Apple takes center stage with her boundary-pushing voice expertly crafting rawness, gentleness, ugliness, and beauty. Rhythm pulses through each song with unusual percussive sounds made with items found around her house. Fiona Apple engineered most of the recording herself using the free software Garageband. She layers sound after sound until the song is a tapestry of rhythm and voice. Fetch The Bolt Cutters will have the listener curious on the first, tenth, and hundredth listen.
Fiona Apple unpacks parts of the human experience that are often ignored in popular culture. The song Shameika rewinds to Fiona Apple’s middle school experience, repeating words of a classmate that Fiona Apple remembers clearly decades later. Rack of His and Newspapers consider the confusing relationships between women who are the ex-girlfriends of the same guy. Themes like these are rare in popular culture as they go to a depth some listeners may not understand.
Most surprisingly, Fetch the Bolt Cutters offers listeners hope for freedom. Fiona Apple is often caricatured as a sad eccentric artist capable of only exploring pain and sadness. Ironically, in this time of fear and uncertainty, she is one of the few artists offering authentic encouragement. Her responses to suffering are not shallow or simplistic. As Christians, we can learn a lot from Fiona Apple’s ability to see the world in a clear way and empathize with those around her. We can be inspired by her push for excellence without being seduced by greed. Her boundary-pushing musicality mesmerize listeners and music critics alike. In her 25-year recording career, she could easily have released more than five albums but she has long realized what many of us are just realizing now. Slowing down and taking her time allows the work to last in deeply meaningful ways.