My second 10 is coming up, sad!
It's also someone's 11.
It's also someone's 11.
@Trouble in Paradise's
I didn't smile, because a smile always seemed rehearsed
I wasn't afraid of the bullies, and that just made the bullies worse
56
HIGH 11 (@Trouble in Paradise), 10 (@Oleander @Jonathan27 @boombazookajoe @Phonetics Girl and Yours Truly)
LOW 3 (@sfmartin), 5.5 (@Hurricane Drunk @Cotton Park)
@godspeed (8.5) opens with a declaration: "Shameika was right". And she was! One of THE 90's alt-pop/rock/piano/singer-songwriter/I'm a solo woman who should be taken seriously originals has definitely shown her potential time and again over the course of three decades and five albums. From the longest wait since 2012's The Idler Wheel..., 2019 was the year she shared with the world that a new album was coming, materializing in the form of Fetch the Bolt Cutters. Shameika was its first taste, and it's a little iconic that its release date was on my 21st birthday, loved that!
Shameika is the titular classmate that comes to be the only person that has truly stood up for Fiona when she's been attacked or bullied, and in an album that's filled with very dark but humorous retellings of trauma in her relationships, her rejection of systems and celebrity worship, it's quite a hopeful situation when put into perspective. Picturing those scenes is made all the more vivid thanks to the piano and chords running up and down, making a dynamic sound paired with warbling, distortion and the voice that modulates volume and force, screams and whispers as she has gone from fighting a lone fight against school bullies to putting herself against police when her touring band was searched for weed, and so forth. And the awesome thing is she does these switchups from past to present in the jump of a line and this fluidity can almost pass me by for how seamless it is.
I'll let the true fans like @Oleander (10) explain this one: "The wait for a new Fiona album is long but she delivers every time and this song along with its parent album are no different. The way she captures these hyper-specific experiences of hers in such a way that transcends the individual and becomes universal is unparalleled. You can feel everything she feels and instantly relate. Much like Tori Amos, no one plays piano the way that Fiona can play it. The story behind the song of having someone believe in you and having something to believe in (music) despite all the insecurities and judgement from others is beautiful and seeing Fiona reconnect with Shameika and collaborating with her makes the whole thing even sweeter. This song is the culmination of so many of the things I love about Fiona's music and artistry. She never fails to surprise me and speak to my own experiences when she makes her return and it's why she will always be one of my favorite artists of all time.". Totally, Shameika Said was a great add-on to the album and reconnecting through their mutual third grade teacher and poet Linda Kunhardt, and it leading to this must-read Pitchfork article about the pair coming together and instantly realizing they vibrated in the same wavelength. It's a reinvigorating article and story to be honest.
Finally, @Trouble in Paradise (11) has the mic: "Once I saw Ms Apple’s name, I knew my 11 would go straight to her. No hyperbole, Fiona Apple is one of my life guides. She taught me it’s okay to be painfully present in the world. To see firsthand the horrors of the system we live in and speak up instead of shutting down. To dare to be in our pain and tell about it. To dare to be exactly who we want to be, fuck everyone else. To remember the kindness, no matter how brief, of someone believing in you. Especially as a painfully sensitive child. I don’t know who I’d be without Fiona Apple’s music". Beautifully put about one hell of a human and crucial force in the musical landscape since 1996. Love!
