Her best album for quite a while. See my post about it in the top-20 for the decade. She is in top form again - if only someone can tell her that she does not have to fill all the available cd space.
For the 00's
No.2 - Burial - Untrue
The soundtrack of our times, the sound of the decade, otherworldly music but yet so urban, so close to being the music that plays all the time in our minds, in the air, everywhere. And an archangel behind me at all times.
Most people might think that the Loney Dear album cover is a great looking graphic. In fact it is a legandary object, at least to those of us who grew up with the Voyager satellites going out in space, promises of new, uncharted worlds opening out before us. This is the golden record that is stored in the Voyager satellites, in case an intelligent life form out there finds it and wants to know more about who made it. You can see an explanatory diagramm below the record and read more about it here. I have no more information about the design of the cover than the name of Emil's live-gig photographer, Kate Gaughran.
For the 00's - Tori Amos - Abnormally Attracted To Sin
See how the outer case and the inner fold-out sleeve fit to make the keyhole effect
Keyhole in place - peeping Tori!
Limited edition packaging galore! Only the actual CD is missing (the record you see peeping out is the DVD)
What a great package. Not only the music is good but, as is the norm with Tori, the album artwork rules. Especially the limited edition pack, which includes a special booklet, a poster and a DVD with visualettes for the songs. It even has a little key-hole at the back, from which you peep Tori! Art direction and design were done by Christopher Kornmann forspit and image. This graphic design studio specialises in beautifull album artwork, so it was a natural choice. For the album's photographic component, Amos enlisted fashion photographer Karen Collins. "I love the way (Collins) shoots women," Amos stated about the photographer's work. "It's not vulgar or demeaning, but I find it just sexy. They look empowered to me, and I like her style." The setting for the album's artwork is a cream-colored hotel room, with various photos of Amos depicting different ideas of sensuality through images such as voyeurism and sadomasochism, both of which tie into the ideas of power explored throughout the album. And although she does appear a bit too photoshopped in them, the photos are gorgeous.
Sweden is a hotbed of good music. There must be something in the water, I cannot explain it otherwise. This fifth(!) album of multi-instrumentalist Emil Svanängen finds him with all the usual characteristics of the Scandinavian music wave (charming melodies, great beats, melancholy mood) but with a personality all of his own. Lovely dear Emil.
For the 00's
No.17 - Tori Amos - Abnormally Attracted to Sin
She finally did it. So many years she kept on releasing mediocre albums that other ladies would kill for. Not to say this one is without flaws, far from it. But she's back in top song-writing form again for more than two or three tunes on an album that could use some fine editing - then it would be perfection. But who is perfect?
I would very much liked to have seen the faces of Epic executives when Tori presented them with her idea for her 2007 release: a concept album with 23 songs (OK, some are mere interludes), a five-persona Tori, touching on America: politics, psychology, society. I can almost feel the cold sweat running down their backs seeing her presentation. Did she do it: absolutely. Tori managed to deliver an album of excellent music, songs that pack a punch and at the same time, manage to sound fresh and new, without veering too much off her characteristic style, although the guitars are heavier here, and the whole production seems to have 80's overtones and a "rockier" style. Still her amazing and personal delivery of strange lyrics (Velvet Revolution), piano acrobatics (Almost Rosey), dark themes (Girl Disappearing) and show-tune melodies (listen to Mr. Bad Man), all characteristics loved by her fans, are very much present here. Bouncing Off Clouds is probably the most accessible and loved song of the album, its melody and vocals reminding very much of older - style Tori. The five personae do not always work well, but the concept is fun. I always love my divas playing parts - makes the whole shenanigans so much more interesting. And Tori seems to have fun too. With us - and that says a lot! And Velvet Revolution sounds so Greek!
Bouncing Off Clouds:
You Can Bring Your Dog (live in Rome)
Code Red live in Athens (pity I missed her).
Worst Albums of 2007 - No. 15
Carrie Underwood - Carnival Ride
A product of the American Idol reality show, she was singled out for being the most promising vocally of all that show's alumnae. Unfortunately, although she has written four of the album's tracks, she cannot seem to be able to get away from the packaging that her company has made for her. You can even tell from the cover - the most perfect set of blond feathered hair seen since Farrah Fawcett back in Charlie's Angels. She has a good voice but nothing else to back it up. Plus she suffers from the Celine/Mariah disease: overdoing it. And what an unfortunate choice of title for the album.
