When The Pawn... (studio album) by Fiona Apple

From Brad1770 03/27/2023 00:38

The Idler Wheel will always be my favourite Fiona Apple album even though this ones better (if that makes any sense) with not one but two killer generational tracks in “Limp” and the unforgettable “Paperbag”

Interestingly at 90 words, upon its release this album held the world record for longest album title in history which it held until 2008. The full album title is transcribed below


‘When the pawn hits the conflicts he thinks like a king
What he knows throws the blows when he goes to the fight
And he'll win the whole thing 'fore he enters the ring
There's no body to batter when your mind is your might
So when you go solo, you hold your own hand
And remember that depth is the greatest of heights
And if you know where you stand, then you know where to land
And if you fall it won't matter, cuz you'll know that you're right’

An even bigger improvement over the already impressive debut 'Tidal' (written when she was around 17 to 18 and showing a maturity far beyond her years), 'When the Pawn' sees her linking up with composer and producer Jon Brion to create a soundscape of unorthodox pop music that meshes elements of jazz, rock, and classical music (courtesy of Brion's luscious string arrangements). Wit as sharp as ever but with even more bite when she scorns ('Fast As You Can', 'Limp'), or when she loves ('Paper Bag', 'On the Bound'). Her best album, this is a definitive record for the 90s and a great introduction to the world of Fiona Apple.

Essential picks: Fast As You Can, Limp, On the Bound, Paper Bag

From C_Krug2009 06/30/2022 17:39

This album is more complex than Tidal I think for its rhythms. This album is great. Love the instrumentals on this album. I only know her first two albums but I should be hearing her other stuff. So far I am impressed with her music

85

When the Pawn... Tan solo el segundo album de Fiona Apple y ya demuestra el tema principal de sus canciones: la obsesión amorosa. Tiene un buen catálogo de canciones, entre las que sobresaltan Paper Bag, On the Bound y Fast As You Can, que tienen merecidas sus estrellas en este sitio web. Es un serio competidor al título de mejor disco de Fiona Apple junto con The Idler Wheel. Simplemente genial.

This is a lot better than Tidal and you can see how far the artist has progressed in between those releases. She sounds a lot more mature and the song writing is vastly improved in my opinion. Sonically, it is far superior as well with there being a lot more to explore and a lot more little nuances to fall in love with. This is also a very consistent release with every song being good or great and only one or two songs feel a bit weaker. Her vocal performance as well is brilliant and sounds so rough and gritty to listen too. However, I wouldn't say any song is truly outstanding and I think there are releases by this artist which are slightly stronger. Overall, another fantastic album from a very consistent and intelligent artist.

From teague 09/18/2021 17:15

An improvement in every facet over Tidal.

Second best album by Fiona, absolutely amazing

From VictorVale 12/28/2020 12:23

Grande álbum! Fiona mostra muita força aqui.

From planetneutral 11/15/2020 18:20

Solid collection of songs from a personal favorite contemporary.

From LebowskiRams 05/10/2020 03:37

One of the best opening three songs to any album. ever.