Albums I love: Part 1

I've been listening to a lot of music lately. I've rediscovered some albums that have lain buried on my hard drive for an immeasurable length of time. However, I am quite glad I have gone through this process. Listening to these old albums has been like visiting old friends. We spend time and commiserate together - sharing old wounds and emotional baggage, as well as reminiscing about the good times and those little bright spots in life. I thought I might share some of these albums with whoever may read this in the next few entries and explain why each one means so much to me.



Alanis Morrisette - Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie

Alanis' 1998, sophomore, often lesser-known, underrated, neglected release is probably her best to date. Yes, we all loved Jagged Little Pill, but it is a one trick pony. The girl can't stay angry forever. I have a very dear friend that says "but I like angry Alanis." While "angry Alanis" is good for certain times of the month or when the world is continually fucking you over, it's hard to deal with that kind of raw emotion all the time. No one can stay perpetually angry forever - naturally whatever is fueling that fire eventually dies out. We grow, we evolve and we reflect. This is why I love Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie. Where Jagged Little Pill often lashed out - meaning to leave gashes in the psyche of whom they were directed, much of Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie is about reconciliation: with parents, with lovers, with the fears and weaknesses that Alanis saw in herself. Also, reflecting upon the fact that what was said in a time of youthful angst, faded away with time and age.

I bought this album in 8th grade. Looking back I'm surprised my immaturity did not hinder my love for it. Although, I did not truly understand the themes and metaphors which drench this album at the tender age of 14. It took me quite a while to really absorb the magnitude of this great piece of work. As I grew older, it was as if the songs grew with me. They mean more to me as time goes on and I continue to mature. Perhaps I am really biased.

This album spawned from a battle Alanis began to have with herself. Endless touring led her to question whether or not singing was something she really wanted to pursue for the rest of her life. She had a choice to quit and leave JLP as her only American hit. Being the feisty chick she is, she decided to stab that doubt in the gut. Many fans believe that this conciliatory, cryptically introspective and a bit disturbed approach is a failure. Or they haven't listened to the album at all - which I feel is a greater tragedy.

It is clear that Alanis seemed for feel more comfortable in her own skin; which becomes even more symbolic when she appears nearly naked in her video for Thank U as well as the CD's disk cover. This is a heavily loaded metaphor for the entire collection of songs. She is displaying her raw vulnerability in a way not seen in her previous work. It is as if she is saying "here I am, displaying myself in my purest form for all to see. this is all I am, don't judge me too harshly"

This metaphor becomes even more apparent when the musical structure of each song is dissected. Instead of falling back the go-to grunge rock elements her first album relied so heavily on, she experiments with ambient sounds, Middle-Eastern type music (which the album is littered with) and synthesized electronic pop. She also stripped down many of the songs - most notably on track six, "That I Would Be Good" - an extremely soft and restrained, heartbreakingly beautiful track which delicately touched piano and her take on the flute.

It almost feels as if this work was a moment of seizure, where the Universe's essence is expressed through each note, lyric and melody - which is most apparent in the stream of consciousness type lyrics in songs like "The Couch," and "I Was Hoping."

Each track (save the closing track, "Your Congratulations" which, if you're not in the mood for a lament about being accepted by people, not to mention Alanis singing in a higher register which may explode your brain, might be a horrible end to a beautiful record.) is a beautiful little work of art. Truly, I do not expect anyone to take my word for it. What does my opinion matter? However, if you were or are a fan of Alanis Morisette, do yourself a favor and listen to this album. Some may say it lacks the punch of JLP, but I think they fail to realize it's punching in a totally different way. And to my dear friend who loves angry Alanis, may I just say that perhaps you should give, wiser, kinder, gentler Alanis a shot. She may prove to be a better companion to have around.

I will admit one downfall of this album: it is a lot to handle. As previously mentioned, a lot of the lyrics are in stream of consciousness style. It seems like a lot of what Alanis was going through came gushing out of her all at once. This can be daunting for someone not prepared for it. One, very wrong iTunes reviewer says "keep it to yourself Alanis!" claiming that the album is "for diehard fans only" and "it is hard to take Alanis Morisette as a legitimate songwriter when she insists on writing such clumsy lyrics. Using ten dollar words to give the impression that she's sophisticated or when all else fails making up words entirely (ie:"renunciate") ... Essentially what we have here is Alanis' diary put to music which can hardly be considered a masterpiece. Though a few of these songs tell some very intriguing stories , Alanis leaves little room for listeners to enjoy these songs on their own terms. ... This album alienated a great number of people upon release and it comes to no surprise that Alanis hasn't been able to regain her popularity. These "songs" belong inside Alanis' journal , not on an album released to the commercial public."

I'm sorry, what? Isn't the most heartfelt music intended to be personal? Isn't it not also true that JLP was extremely personal and raw? Also, Alanis is incredibly intelligent so those "10 dollar words" are probably not just being used to make her seem smarter. To say that this album sucks is unfortunate; to not give it a fighting chance is also unfortunate. I feel that if she stayed angry, intending to gouge out the eyes of men everywhere, I think people would grow quite tired of it. She might receive more criticism like "all her albums are the same - she's always angry." Personally I find it much more interesting to watch an artist grow. Also, so what if she makes up words. Shakespeare did it! He made up about 3,000 of the words we use today. Many of them didn't catch on at first, but they exist today regardless. Who cares if Alanis Morisette tries to do the same?

In closing, this album is an unsung gem and has become one of the many segments to the soundtrack of my life. I would love to share the album with you, but I think some government officials might come after me. Instead, go over to iTunes and sample the album. You may obtain it whatever way you see fit. I really hope you won't be disappointed.