Fiona Apple has finally returned to the music scene. It's been 8 years since her last album 'The Idler Wheel' mounted onto her cult status as one of the most powerful, evocative and genuine philanthropist musicians of a generation. Along with her knack for a strange, out-there song, Fiona is notorious for her excessively long album titles, but 'Fetch The Bolt Cutters' is as to the point as her songwriting is.
Fetch The Bolt Cutters is an album that is near-perfect, a piece of art that is so close to perfection that its flaws stand out more so than on a mediocre album. Fiona's melody-making is so out-there and off-kilter on this album that it's quite jarring at times. However, on multiple playthroughs it starts to fit together, like the final few pieces of a puzzle, building into this album that flows seamlessly and produces songs that will.
Fiona Apple's low, gutteral singing voice elevates the meaning of some of the songs on this album, her songwriting taking us through emotional accounts of sexism, bullying and rape - an album that is not for the light-hearted but is a crucial listen. To hear the account and to make you want to make this world a better place. Ultimately, Fiona challenges the listener, and yet still manages to create a catchy tune, I still find myself singing along to the song 'Fetch The Bolt Cutters' many times a day.
9/10