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Extraordinary Machine

From: $13.97

Fiona Apple, brooding, brainy belter and capital-A artist of near forbidding depth, begins her much gossiped-over third CD on a lark. The title track, one of two songs produced by Jon Brion before the label dispute that prompted hip-hop producer Mike Elizondo (50 Cent, Eminem) to step in, sounds like a Judy Garland number slathered with irony or something Rufus Wainwright might have had a hand in--strings soar, beats bump around skittishly, and notes require a ladder. But playful as it is, by the time the chorus kicks in it's clear why the world has missed Fiona Apple so much. Young female artists who have stepped into the spotlight since she fled it six years ago-- Nellie McKay and Joss Stone spring to mind for their cleverness and heat, respectively--seem slight in comparison. With every track ticked off, in fact, Extraordinary Machine moves listeners a little closer to what might be a correct assumption: that everything they've dipped into since 1999's When the Pawn ... was filler. Fans will feel it especially on "O'Sailor," a gimlet-eyed lament, and "Tymps," a tight piano track with a tip of the hat to hip-hop. It's "Window," though, with its lyric about "a filthy pane of glass" fogging up a clear view, that sums up the experience of this CD best. "I had to break the window," Apple sings, smoky-voiced as ever. "It just had to be." With Extraordinary Machine, she shatters already sky-high expectations. -Tammy La Gorce

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UPC: 696998668324
Brand: N/A
Product Rating: 81/100 (from 291 reviews)
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291 Reviews

Love it (75%) | Hate it (14%) | On the Fence (11%) | Didn't Rate it (0%)

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From: Amazon Posted: Jul 25, 2008 Type: User Review

I certainly haven't been shopping for any new shoes.

Fiona returns, and she is on fire. A quite impressive album, though it falls a hair short of achieving the brilliance of 'When The Pawn...' I prefer this over 'Tidal' which in itself is pretty spectacular as well.
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4.00/5

From: Amazon Posted: Jun 16, 2008 Type: User Review

A Little Stick of Dynamite

Such a small woman with such a big voice. She is amazing. I listened to this CD today,2008.
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5.00/5

From: Amazon Posted: May 09, 2008 Type: User Review

Flawed Masterpiece

Like all Fionas albums, Extraordinary Machine has fantastic, creative lyrics backed up with a wonderful voice and perfect instrumentation.

So where does it fall short? - the mastering, sadly someone made the decision to have the album...
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4.00/5

From: Amazon Posted: Mar 02, 2008 Type: User Review

Cheesy noodling in the studio.

I can't call this music but I guess it is.

F. Apple shows ANYBODY with a computer these days can pump out some basic songs, getting them out there is the hard part. F. Apple's fame is the mystery.

There are no songs on...
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1.00/5

From: Amazon Posted: Feb 25, 2008 Type: User Review

If you don't like this album, you're beyond help!

All other reviewers have sung the worthy praises of "Extraordinary Machine," so I have little else to add other than they're right! The title song is an absolute BLAST to listen to; don't try to over analyze this song at first, just listen to the...
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5.00/5

From: Amazon Posted: Feb 23, 2008 Type: User Review

Not Extraordinary, But Very Good

This album was my first exposure to Fiona Apple, so I don't have her earlier albums to compare to. That's good, as each album and each review should stand on it's own. Fiona has an incredible voice, powerful, but not overpowering. Some describe...
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4.00/5

From: Amazon Posted: Feb 22, 2008 Type: User Review

Unique album showing extraordinary talent

Fiona Apple's 2005 offering Extraordinary Machine remains one of the most challenging and strikingly original pop music albums to emerge in the 2000's. Unpredictable, yet pretty melodies and dangerously intelligent lyrics make the record not the...
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4.00/5

From: Amazon Posted: Feb 12, 2008 Type: User Review

Fiona Apple Is Under Rated

Fiona Apple's newest album Extraordinary Machine seamlessly combines different music styles, and artfully presents them in her own unique creation. This album should be appreciated for several reasons: Technique, Artistry & Vision. Technically...
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5.00/5

From: Amazon Posted: Feb 11, 2008 Type: User Review

This is why we don't hear much about Fiona Apple

To keep it short, this was an unusual sounding CD. It has some positives, is original and some good lyrics, but on the whole not a very good collection of songs. My girlfriend couldn't even stand to listen to it all. If you were a big fan of Tidal...
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3.00/5

From: Amazon Posted: Jan 12, 2008 Type: User Review

Apple Sauce

Have not heard much from Ms Apple except for radio play. Ordered three compact disks at once. Have been working my way thru them. Neither good or bad. Interesting production.
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3.00/5

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