So much of the drama surrounding
Fiona Apple
's third album,
Extraordinary Machine
, focused on its recording and release -- how the original
Jon Brion
productions were scrapped in favor of new versions helmed by
Mike Elizondo
, all fueling fan panic and an Internet protest pleading for a free
Fiona
-- that ultimately all the clamor obscured
Apple
herself, both her songs and performances. She runs no such risk on
The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do
, her fourth album, arriving some seven years after
. Alone with her voice, piano, and percussionist
Charley Drayton
,
has nowhere to hide, nor does she give any indication she'd prefer to run. These spare but not skeletal arrangements -- each cut is subtly colored with harmonies, slight effects, overlapping rhythms, and additional keyboards -- never shift focus away from
's magnetic vocals, the human element pulling us into these songs. Some hooks are stronger than others -- "Periphery" cuts to the quick, whereas "Every Single Night" surges -- but what was rumored about
is actually true about
The Idler Wheel
: there are no singles here, nothing concise and concentrated to facilitate an easy sell. But that's not to say that
is alienating. As elliptical as the melodies and words can be, the music is immediate and the songs unfold quickly, certain turns of phrase or thrilling runs swiftly seeping into the subconscious. Lacking either ornate production or a pop single,
plays like
at her purest and that's plenty complicated: she takes no shortcuts or easy turns, her intent somewhat shrouded but never absent. Much of the charm of
's music isn't decoding what it all means but learning its internal clockwork, letting the songs take root, so the love songs ("Jonathan") seem sweeter, the braggadocio ("Hot Knife") funnier, the pathos ("Valentine," "Regret") and paranoia ("Werewolf") feeling fathomless. Once the startling Spartan surfaces of
become familiar, similarities to her three previous albums are apparent -- she takes certain jazzy strides that hark back to
Tidal
, there's a rigorous dexterity reminiscent of
When the Pawn
-- but what's new is an unwavering determination and cohesion. Nothing is wasted, either in the composition or arrangement, and this lean confidence binds
. Stripped of all her carnivalesque accouterments,
remains as rich and compelling as she ever was, perhaps even more so. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine