It's been a while since we hit you with a TIYMLI (Try It, You Might Like It) album... but this one, I couldn't resist. There's definitely some relatable content, so try it...you know the rest...
Artist: Alanis Morisette
Album: Flavors of Entanglement
Release Date: 6.10.08
I had a few reasons to be pissed off this week, so Flavors of Entanglement, the newest release from Alanis Morisette came in extra handy. I’ve been a longtime fan of Alanis, ever since I first connected with her pain and disillusionment on Ironic and You Oughta Know (circa Jagged Little Pill, 1995). On this new project, Alanis is back in that familiar place, where sorrow hangs on her lyrics, and her melodies are born in a place of hurt, and her music connects on a very deep emotional level. After a few forgettable albums, we can finally re-connect, back in the place we first connected. Isn’t it ironic…
Appropriately titled, Flavors of Entanglement delivers many different flavors of Morissette’s personal emotional turmoil: from guitar- heavy rocked out anthems to the soothing piano-led balladry. She rocks out on Versions of Violence, and the album’s opener Citizen of The Planet; both feature the heavy rock guitars and match well against the rage in her voice. On the dance-ready Straitjacket lives the Alanis Morisette I remember from her earlier work, lyrically speaking. She strips away the metaphors and the sugar-coating and pours on the scorn full force: “I don’t know who you’re talking to with such fucking disrespect…” Um, yeah…she’s pissed! On the piano-led ballads Not as We and Torch however, the more vulnerable side is revealed and the songs themselves seem to cry. The latter features a gray marriage of piano and guitar, resulting in a somber melody. Tapes is a song of self-evaluation leading to discontent; displeasure with the person in the mirror. The closing song, Incomplete is one of my favorites; Alanis expresses her faith in better days to come and the ultimate desire of the human experience: a life of fulfillment.
Appropriately titled, Flavors of Entanglement delivers many different flavors of Morissette’s personal emotional turmoil: from guitar- heavy rocked out anthems to the soothing piano-led balladry. She rocks out on Versions of Violence, and the album’s opener Citizen of The Planet; both feature the heavy rock guitars and match well against the rage in her voice. On the dance-ready Straitjacket lives the Alanis Morisette I remember from her earlier work, lyrically speaking. She strips away the metaphors and the sugar-coating and pours on the scorn full force: “I don’t know who you’re talking to with such fucking disrespect…” Um, yeah…she’s pissed! On the piano-led ballads Not as We and Torch however, the more vulnerable side is revealed and the songs themselves seem to cry. The latter features a gray marriage of piano and guitar, resulting in a somber melody. Tapes is a song of self-evaluation leading to discontent; displeasure with the person in the mirror. The closing song, Incomplete is one of my favorites; Alanis expresses her faith in better days to come and the ultimate desire of the human experience: a life of fulfillment.
This is a solid album, not just musically, but because it’s so relatable. Sure, there’s rage, there’s anguish and hurt, but there’s also an exposure to the vulnerability that’s less often expressed. It’s clear that Alanis Morissette’s best work is born out of her pain – this album was inspired by her recent breakup with actor Ryan Reynolds. Sucks for her, but its good for fans like me who need something like this in our moments of rage – something we can relate to. Flavors of Entanglement is a moving story of heartbreak, recovery and restoration, well-crafted and fully expressive. Give it a listen, you’ll thank me later...
-Mack-
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