ani difranco

[Mojopin]

this too

[harmless]

that's one of my favorites

I actually hadn't listened to DiFranco till last night but I have a friend who swears by her (and that song / poem) so I might have to start.

[malice]

you'd like her I think, harmless. she's very emotive, which I'm a sucker for but some people find it too melodramatic, I think? I really didn't get all that interested in her older music (pre Dilate, I guess) until I listened to Living in Clip - all live performances, and mostly it was because she's very funny on stage - anyway, you'll have to let me know what you think if you do get around to checking her music out

[harmless]

I really like the two or three songs I've heard so far on this thread. Yeah, it occasionally gets a bit Alanis dramatic but it's much more outwardly political and less self-indulgent.

[malice]

[McParadigm]

Is that last record...Which Side Are You On...any good? Ever since the comeback from Educated Guess, it's been a lot of records that are very capable and have a couple of really strong songs, but which I don't really find myself revisiting.

Dilate, Little Plastic Castle, Up, To the Teeth, and Reveling/Reckoning are all fantastic. I'm in the minority, in that I'd gladly call Rev/Reck the best of that bunch. The absolutely perfect "in studio" sound (complete with well preserved dynamics), the way she used the brass and keys melodically but with a hint of chaos on that disc, and just the writing are all spectacular. I think the reflective, frustrated subject matter probably helps, too...she does really well when honestly exploring subjects that most artists smear with allegory to the point of vagueness.



From 2:30 onward that song is pure tupelo honey to me.



Goddamn, she maintains a level of lyrical quality I really wish other artists could manage. No hearing of the circus so profound, here.

[malice]

I remember you didn't like Educated Guess, mcp, but I think it's a good album with some weak points on it. the title track, as well as Platforms, Swim, Origami, and Bodily make up for it pretty well.
I have Reveling/Reckoning but haven't listened to it very much - I gravitate more to To the Teeth and Dilate.

and don't have Which Side Are You On (yet)

[McParadigm]

Yeah, it's really that Evolve/Educated Guess as a combination let me down. They kept pushing the boundaries she'd started toying with on R/R, but they really abandoned a lot of the melody and atmosphere that made her engaging in the process. While she got those qualities back later on, it seems like she never quite got them back to where they came as naturally and easy as they did before.

From Dilate to R/R is a magnificent set of records, and presents a fantastically nuanced musical journey.

[LetMeSleep]

I've been listening to Dilate a fe times lately and was looking for confirmation that Napoleon was about Alanis M (I read it somewhere in the Dilate press at the time and just accepted it). While looking for confirmation I found this comment on youtube which of course is quite interesting.

This song is NOT about Susanne Vega, Tori Amos or Alanis Morrisette. Ani has said that much over time. There have been clues as to who it is about and a smart guess would be Eddie Vedder.

I was wondering if any of you, well Samiad, might be able to elaborate or dispel this.