Ok so the way im gonna review this is by offering my first impressions, then go through track by track, and then rate the album out of 10 w a quick overview of why.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: This has musical merit. I won’t delete it from my library when I’m done with it. I appreciate what she’s going for, I can’t hate on good music. That being said, I probably won't listen through this another time once I'm done, other than checking out one or two songs if I’m in the mood. If one of these tracks ends up in the middle of one of the alternative sections of Televised Radio (which it probably will), I could see myself messing with it, the same way I mess with portishead and men i trust when they come up. For context, this is my first Fiona Apple album, and right before this I was listening to Black Kray.

I Want You To Love Me: Appreciate the piano on this one, very interesting chord progression under that sustained “yooouuu”. The vocals pair with the instrumental very well. About two thirds through the song though, when it enters the bridge, it gets a little too showtune-esque for my taste. The outro on this one is something else though. She sounds like an injured dolphin or a scared horse bleating over a wild piano riff. I’ve seen people point to this as a low point, but to be honest, I kind of like it. Apple is at her best when she is being as weird as possible.

Shameika: I’m not really sure if I like the second track having such a similar piano riff as the first song, at this point it’s getting a little drawn out. The lyrics on this one are pretty good, the only two parts I found too corny were the line about bullies and, funnily enough, the line the title comes from. Easily, the worst part of this song is when the instrumental cuts out and Apple says “Shameika said I had potential”. It places such emphasis on a line that is, quite honestly, not as deep as the song would like you to believe. I appreciate the little weird sonic tidbits she throws in here, namely the cymbal crash, the hint of electric guitar, and the odd little shouts Apple adds. The tempo changes and key shifts make this song sound sort of like three songs in one, which isn’t a bad thing in this case.

Fetch The Bolt Cutters: Ok, it’s the title track. Right off the bat, the jazz inspired instrumental stands out. The writing on this is the best out of the first three tracks, the internal rhymes lend a slippery and slick energy to Apple’s voice. Interestingly enough, the chorus is the weakest part of the song. Once again, undue emphasis is placed on a line that, to be completely honest, isn’t that great. Other than that, this track is pretty enjoyable, I love the quieter energy Apple brings to this track, and the atmospheric outro is great.

Under The Table: Man she sounds like an annoying dinner guest . In all seriousness, the lyrics on this one are just a little too pretentious and condescending for my taste. The instrumental on this track is similar to the previous track, except it leaves the quiet energy Apple brought previously behind at times to climax into a loud burst of energy. I’m not really a big fan of that electric keyboard in the background to be honest, I like the sections with piano more.

Relay: The message in this one is great, but once again, the lyrics are still a little too condescending and pretentious for me to fully get behind them. If there was one song on this album I would pick to explain why people might associate this album with Hillary stans, it would be this one. As far as the sonics go, I appreciate what she does on the intro and the outro more than what goes on in the verses. The mixing is superb again, but mixing isn’t everything.

Rack Of His: The strings on this one are cool. I like the chord progressions of other tracks more, but that's not to say it’s bad on this track. For once, the verse the title comes from is actually the most clever part of the song. This track isn’t very experimental to be honest, which sort of makes it forgettable to me. It’s not bad, but it certainly isn’t a standout track.

Newspaper: Right off the bat, this intro sounds like something straight off of Yves Tumor’s serpent music, one of my favorite albums right now. The drum loop is easily my favorite part of the song, and I appreciate the simplicity of keeping the instruments to drums and voice for the most part. Apple’s writing is good again, and her delivery is powerful. To be completely honest though, I’d listen to this track more if the lead vocals were removed. To be fair though, making music like that is Yves Tumor’s lane, not Apple’s

Ladies: Most soul inspired song so far. The chorus on this is pretty great, the instrumental is well done too. Out of all the songs, this one is most likely to end up on Televised Radio (Virgil Abloh’s show). On the downside, the song strays away from experimentation. The energy here is very similar to what I found on the title track, and I can appreciate that.

Heavy Balloon: Weird instrumental, which is a good thing. The bass is very funky, I like it. There are a few spots I don’t like, specifically the verse that mentions the Sahara, but overall this track is pretty good. Honestly one of my favorites. Not much else to say.

Cosmonauts: This one is really poppy, i'm not sure if I like that. Overall, this track is well done, there really isn’t a part I have a problem with. The best part has to be the loud section towards the end, I like it when Apple rocks out. The lyrics are pretty repetitive, but that’s not really a problem. Anyway, this one is ok, but its too normal to be great.

For Her: The title seems to tell me that this song isn’t for me, and that’s right. The layered vocals are extremely impressive, the delivery is passionate, and the drums aren’t bad either. This song is a good piece of art, and overall pretty powerful. It just isn’t really the kind of music I enjoy though. I don’t expect this song in Televised Radio, to put it in simpler terms.

Drumset: Ironically, this song has some of the weakest drums. The bass has a bluesy groove, but the vocals are very folky. Like Rack Of His, this isn’t a standout track. Apple doesn’t push it too far here, which is okay, but it means that this song is among the weaker songs on the album. It accomplishes what it set out to do though, so I won’t be too harsh on it.

On I Go: Back to weird drums and instrumentals! I like this. This song is pretty good, even though the repetitive vocals do get kind of annoying. Overall, a pretty good closing track. The album ends on a sort of “to be continued”, wrapping up some of what was brought up, but hinting at more to come.

FINAL REVIEW: Ok so I do like some of the tracks off of this album, and there are a few standout moments. Apple certainly did a great job at doing what she set out to do, so I can respect that. I can see this album falling among the ranks of In the Airplane Over the Sea and stuff. Thing is, that’s just not what I look for. I understand how Pitchfork gave it such a good review, but I’m not giving it a 10/10. Like I said at the top, I’m not relistening, and I’m already back to my Black Kray, but the album wasn’t bad.

FINAL SCORE: 8/10

mmm

thought this was gonna be a Cam’ron review

out

Need that Jim Jones review asap

b****

Agree that the interesting percussion and vocals are the best parts of the album for me

Nice review

I guess the album did have that hip hop energy

Thx b!

U got thru it fast asl

Oh nah definitely not

Lol your actual track reviews makes it seem like you liked it A LOT more than how you started the post off (first impressions section)

not reading this

and you cant force me too like it !!!!!

Funny cause as a drake stan you probably forced yourself to like scorpion

this review has no hip hop energy

think I'm gonna read anything other than the smiley

If you're not re-listening and you haven't listened to even one of her albums before this one, then this review is kinda meh

no hip hop energy

what ???????

scorpion a 7/10 to me

atleast there are some bangers on the album

what slaps on the Fiona album ?