"from the choirgirl hotel"
Reviews From Toriphiles
Updated May 19, 1998
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"from the choirgirl hotel" Updated May 19, 1998 |
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The Choirgirl Pages -
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Below you will find various reviews of "from the choirgirl hotel" from Toriphiles. I have received so many reviews that this section is now divided into 2 pages. This is page two, which has some older reviews on it. Page 2 of 2  Prev Page Of Reviews
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May 12, 1998 - It's been about a week now since I've had the new album, and I finally feel compelled to write my personal review of it. First of all, I owe a lot to Roger, who wrote his feelings on the album and drove me into a long, sleepless nite of thinking about this new album. On the foreground, the album depresses me. Before this morning, I was going around saying I was disappointed in the album...but I'm reconsidering. Last nite, I needed to listen to Hey Jupiter, so I put the MTV Unplugged version, the Saturday Nite Live version, and the April 9, 1996 version...all SOLO piano...last nite I just couldn't deal with "the band." I didn't stay awake thinking about it, I just went to sleep, and I had a dream about it, but gods-only-know what happened in it.........
I remember when I first got Boys For Pele, the day it came out, I was only 2 or 3 months into my Toriphilia. I remember how I fell in love with Professional Widow the first time I heard it, then Hey Jupiter, and also, Caught a Lite Sneeze...that is definitely one of her greatest girls. And I think I would have gotten the same reaction for this album if I wouldn't have ruined it. I think that I am partially responsible for my reaction to the Hotel. I regret saving all of those Real Audio files of Spark, RS, PM, JS, Cruel, and i i e e e. I think that if I had waited to hear them all as a collective for the first time, I would have enjoyed it more. It's also this sense of commercialism. How "Merman" was kept tightly under wraps, but it is such a beautiful song. How I wasn't able to get a free Lithograph because I live on Long Island and the closest store to me that did that was in Rochester. And then, my friend goes into the www.tori.com chatroom, and when he tells the people in there that he felt tori isn't playing for herself anymore, they accuse him of disrespect and even went as far to accuse him of being the one that raped her...all because he is not a Toriphile and didn't agree with their opinions.
I absolutely love Tori, no matter what. She could have come out with a country music album and I probably still would have loved it. But I think the magic has faded, and I think we Toriphiles are partially responsible. Honestly, I think she's becoming a bit frightened by us, her ardent fans, who document her every move on the web...look how it's come to the point that they constantly point it out to her. And also, I think I may have to partially agree with my friends comment. He said to me that when an artist paints a picture, he is doing it for himself, and leaves the viewers to interpret it...I feel sometimes that now Tori is just writing so that we will be in favor. She's become devoured by that ugly thing called "fame." And no, I don't think that her ego is big, I actually think her ego has been slightly crushed. When I first got the lyrics to the new album, the only one that hit me was "Black Dove," and I remember the first time was at the Irving Plaza show. I don't think her child is the only scared little girl she is talking about. And even though I was at the Irving Plaza show, I agree that if she would have cut it down by about 50 people, it would have been wonderful show. Some people have gone as far to call Tori a capitalist for that. I seriously think things are getting out of control.
Tori reminds me of a nation, one that was always ancient and magical. It grew lush green trees everywhere so that the faeries could have a different place to go every Friday nite. People just walked around barefoot dressed always like it was summer, singing as they walk along river banks. Little Earthquakes was the mountains, Under the Pink was the valleys, and Boys For Pele was the cave. And FTCGH is, in my opinion, is the hotel. Now, there are factories, and smog, and other not-so-yummy things planted on this nation. Was this Tori's attempt to modernize?
Finally, I think Tori is struggling. I can never have the Tori I had before this album...the girl and the piano. She's in the process of growing and becoming a new person. She is only human, and they are subject to change. We'll never fully lose the "old" Tori because she's not able to kill away that part of her. As a person, putting her music and talent aside, I'm referring to her only as a philosopher, I am interested to see her grow. There is new hope for my feelings of this album, but I can see myself 20 years from now, on my bedroom floor crying to Little Earthquakes, Under The Pink, and Boys For Pele...the Tori that I fell in love with.
All I can say to tori is "you were wild...where are you now?"
A while later, Vicki posted a followup to the review above:
i had written my review early this morning, and i've been giving a lot of thought to what i said. I had this long conversation with a close friend of mine who is also a toriphile...she got the album about two days ago. I think I know why I was so reluctant to open up to this album. Not only do these albums represent Tori, but I think the reason why we love her so much is because they represent ourselves. I have had the Cornflake girl single for almost two years now, and it was only Thursday morning, at 6am, that I realized what that song meant to me. I never cared for it much really...I just thought of it as one of Tori's "little ditties." Now, it totally rips me apart. I really don't write those full-scale interpretations of Tori's songs for others to read because they apply personally to myself and they usually make sense to ONLY myself...so I save people the agony. I think I was scared of this album because of what happened today. I got that "tingle" in my heart when I was listening to Northern Lad...first when she said "he don't come much these days, it gets so fvcking cold" and then when she says "and i feel the west in you"...for the first time, the album began to crack that coating I had placed around myself. I was subconciously/conciously protecting myself from this album...because I never realized until later today JUST how emotional it is.
Then came Pandora's Aquarium...."ripples come and ripples go and ripple back to me"...so now, I'm here with Northern Lad on repeat and I'm slowly beginning to see the conception of a great love for this album. I received a response from Richard Handal about my first review, and it made me think about how I had gone around with my friend saying how we miss the girl with the piano...we want her back. But then I thought about how tori has repeatedly been stating about how she dragged the girl and the piano thing to the limit. As much as I would want the Nation-o-Tori to remain just trees, valleys, and mountains...I suppose there has to be a hotel or a factory somewhere. Maybe she wanted this. I am not the only one who has written a review like that, and probably because we're not very used to this side of tori...or this side of ourselves (i'm speaking personally though here).
I've drawn the conclusion that this new album reaches into a door of myself that I've been too reluctant to open. It's not the key to the door, becuase mine contain no locks, but it's more like a strong arm that is forcing me to open it...and I *am* scared. So, I do realize where I was coming from, and all of this came to me when I stopped TRYING to get something out of it....it's like when you have writer's block and you FORCE yourself to write a poem...you go nuts and you end up with a paper with something below your potential written on it...well, that's what happens for me when I attempt to write a poem and I suffer from the big "WB." So, I can finally see where my review and feelings were coming from. To all on (and not on) this list, I appreciate your comments that you sent to me...it helped greatly in interpreting my emotions on this new album.
May 12, 1998 - After listening to "From the Chior Girl Hotel" (how about FCGH for short) I was amazed, bewildered, excited, and mostly satisfied about this album which has been getting so much attention.
But hold on, five days after I pick up FGCH, I find a couple of Spark singles and listen to the so called "extras". Usually, I understand why most of Tori's B-sides are not on the main album. Not this time. I was absoutely astonished by all of these songs. "Bachelorette" and "Do It Again" have an energy not found in FCGH. "Do It Again" merged some of the aggressiveness in FCGH with her great traditional piano."Cooling" is definately beautiful and "Last Stop on the Kufurstendam" is worthy as well with its rythmic lounge type atmospere. All of these songs would give a completeness to FCGH. I think these songs would of complimented "Pandora's Box", "Playboy Mommy", "Jackie's Strength" , and "Nothern Lad" which I believe are more of Tori's style (If she really has a definate one).
Why aren't these songs on the album? Got me. BFP has 18 songs!? Any answers? Please E-mail me at TSCHECK@prodigy.net.
May 11, 1998 - This is Not the Ramada Inn
The night before, I had driven all over crazy freeways to find the Hotel, but it wasn't anywhere to be found, so I went home, wondering what it would look like after the little pixies were sent out to build it overnight.
Unfortunately, I couldn't get there on time for the grand opening the next day; the professors were screaming at me about ending semesters and I felt the chain drag me. But after I had pleased them I flew out onto the freeways again, looking for the Hotel, and I'd found it, snug and fit, a little uncomfortable looking, and a little strange because it was in new surroundings that I knew were really old surroundings.
But I parked in front, and the girl with the Sparks on her dress was waiting for me. We were old friends, and she said, "There wasn't a ribbon cutting, but all the old girls showed up. They went upstairs for margaritas." I nodded. It was so nice to see that dress again. And she spoke so clear this time, not all reverbally and with lots of static like on the phone. I was glad she was there first, because I felt comfortable walking through the tinted glass doors.
Inside, there was a party being thrown for the new place. It was big, and colorful, and there was two stories in it, with a wide patio in the back. The sun was setting the whole time I was there, and I was there a long time. But I'm getting ahead.
There were two stories, and I recognized every single girl upstairs, looking down at the new ones with affection. The girl with the Blood Rose in her hair, and the girl who wore lots of Leather, and the girl with her Space Dog right beside her. They were toasting the new girls. I could hear the Raisin Girls on the back patio. It felt segregated, but that was cool because new plants need time to grow.
And I'd looked around at all the color and all the action that was going on; everyone was moving and being way too loud but that was okay 'cause it'd been awhile since a new building had been erected-- the old one by the volcano got covered up with lava and ash from the last twinkles of the explosion. I held the hand of the girl with the Spark dress and she took me around to meet all the new girls.
The Cruel girl I liked on sight. She had a primitive energy to her that made me nod my head to everything that she'd said. She tied a red balloon to my wrist and I knew that was for strength later on. There was a black scarf around her neck that flitted in the breeze of the ceiling fans and her leopard skin mini blew me away.
I felt the pull of my wrist to the January girl on top of the piano on the right. She was wearing a blue dress had a cage of Black Doves beside her, with feathers that glinted in the harsh candlelight. She'd reminded me of far off bells, but there was something about her, something about the way she blurted out her words that made me step back. She was pretty, but it was a pretty that was only seen when you look at the personality. I knew I would remember her face, if only for flashes. I would see her face between trees.
Behind me I felt the breeze of a body moving; and the girl in the Raspberry and white tye-dye dress touched my chin lightly with her finger. She was dancing around everyone, looking everyone in the eye even though they weren't looking back. She was the most different from the rest of them, with a familiarness about her, but with her energy that didn't matter anyway. The cheesecake would still be eaten whether the others were there or not.
But there was a girl sitting over in the corner, sulking. "Let's go talk to her," I'd said, pointing. "Oh, that's Jackie," she'd said when I pulled her over. She didn't say much but everyone knows that sometimes silence is the best weapon. There were a lot of memories there, and she dangled a chain with a wedding band in her fingers. The glint made my eyes water, and it made me uncomfortable. I wanted to take her away from everything and have a private conversation with her, tell her all of my secrets, tell her that it's alright to grieve, but the noise was just too much, and I laid a hand on her hands and she smirked at me. Her eyes were the coolest shade of blue that I'd ever seen. And I knew she knew about Black Magic kept in little lunch boxes.
But someone screamed out, "iieee!" and I knew we were back in the thick of things. Some of these girls were like three or four girls, that's what the life force was in that Hotel. But the girl who screamed was wearing parachute pants like they used to do back in the day, and I laughed at her because I liked her. There was an inner rhythm in her that I could feel too. She liked to scream, but just loud enough to sound like a whisper in some bathrooms. But she was slick too, sulking like a belly dancer in and out of hallways and in between the tables.
And all throughout the piano just kept going. Sometimes you couldn't hear it, but it was there, like breathing, or a heartbeat, audible only when you stop to look around at yourself.
I could have sworn I heard a familiar beat, but it wasn't my heart. It was the footsteps of the girl with the huge Diamond on her chest. It looked Liquid when she walked up to me and shook my hand. She was a really kind girl, the kind of girl who might make me start to drink. She'd even offered me a nice banana daiquiri but I had to refuse since I had to drive back home after all. So nice she was she even offered up a nice game of poker with the Zebra, but I had to refuse since I didn't have any more money either. She frowned, patted my shoulder lovingly, and took her leave, leaving me with a fuzzy but crystal ice feeling in my center. I would have to see her later.
Coming down the stairs was a girl with skin as white as powder, like Cocaine, and she was from the old school, way way back. She had a very cool vibe about her, but she was one of those people who you just look at and say, "She's cool. I want to be like her once." I just like to shave my legs. She's cool, but I don't think I want to be like her. Though the art of control is a very precise art. I'll pick up my brushes later.
But I turned around again and there was another one sulking in a corner, and she looked off in a weird direction, as if she were really looking at something, and she was mumbling. But when I got closer to her her tale was woven in a shawl with Northern colors that she handed to me. She reminded me of a gypsy then, someone from the colder plains. I told her to come to my house and visit more often and tell my fortune. And she'd nodded in approval. I held her hand and she patted mine.
When I looked around, though, it felt like there was someone missing. And I asked the girl with the Sparks on her dress what was going on with the absentee faerie and she said: "Oh yeah, she went with the Velvets to go look for Exit 75." And I thought, but she left such a good aura behind her, it would be so nice if she returned soon. But I knew she would, the Velvets were always good at guiding people.
But there was a girl with the biggest platforms I'd ever seen swaying next to the piano (it was an upright because the grand one got stolen). And she had the jazziest voice I'd ever seen. She wore really baggy clothes, though I couldn't tell why. I thought about asking her to slow down, but when the chord came I closed my eyes and she laid a hand on my forehead and she was singing Hosannahs for my mother. I know what it's like, I thought. I know what it's like to lose someone you just barely got to know. And she looked at me and smiled and I knew everything would be okay 'cause there ain't nothing wrong with being a Playboy sometimes.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the fish; the Aquarium was huge, and I asked to the girl in the Spark dress, "Who's is this?" "It's Pandora's," she replied, smiling. There wasn't a whole lot of colorful fish in it. Maybe when I come back again I'll bring a Blackmoor and some goldfish. I don't think Pandora wanted to talk to anyone, because she was nowhere to be found, and her presence wasn't as strongly felt as the others. I knew she was there though, and that was enough.
I drove home, and the girls' voices were echoing in my brain, on a programmed repeat. I tied my red balloon to the frame of my bed, so that when I looked up at it, it would stay up in a perfect sky in front of my ceiling.
May 11, 1998 - Getting to know the Choirgirls.
I know I'm a bit late - many of you have already reviewed the album so well and thoroughly, but I live in Finland and here the release date was the 8th May, so...
At first I have to say there's no magic like Tori's. With every album (except for Little Earthquakes - I loved it immediately) it takes so many, many times to listen to it before I even realize what is it all about. But when I do, it's like... we're inseparable - me and the album. No other artist has this effect on me. But I guess this is a feeling most of us Toriphiles share. Don't you think it's a blessing to love Tori?!
Okay, the album itself. At first I thought that she's gone back to Y Kant Tori Read, which would have been OK, because I like that album, too. But surely, it wasn't as intimate and good as the Trilogy of LE, UtP and BfP.
But, what the hell was I thinking... this is not YKTR at all! This may be the same girl who sang so passionately about purple sunsets and pirates, but now she's matured. She's a woman.
SPARK . One of the strongest girls from the Choirgirl Hotel. I heard it for the first time on MTV Europe when they played it in the UK top 40. I just loved it from the very beginning. I know I shouldn't be comparing Tori's new work to her earlier, but I'm gonna do it anyway. Somehow Spark reminds me of Here. In my Head (which is my favourite Tori song, by the way). Maybe it's the lyrics ('Here here here' and 'Again and again') and the 'How many fates..." -part, which has that Medieval sound like Here. In my Head and Past the Mission, for example. Especially I love it when she sings "Ballerinas that have fins that you'll never find" the first time. A powerful song and an obvious choice for the first single. I don't know how Spark is doing in the charts there in the States, but in Europe it's not a hit, unfortunately. But I'm sure it would be, if radiostations (and MTV of course) would air it more!!! And I know Tori's music is not about getting big bucks with success, but I think Tori would deserve it. And Spark would deserve it, I think she's craving for attention! The video for Spark is just amazing. The director has had the same vision about a nearly perfect Tori-video as I have.
CRUEL . Cruel is dressed in black, absolutely, but she's smiling. I love the marimba in this track! It sends me in a jungle (very obvious image, I know). Very dark music, indeed and haunting chorus. I'd love to hear this one live. I like the line 'even the rain is sharp today as you shock me sane'. Have you ever been shocked sane? I have. Maybe I'll listen to Cruel next time I'm celebrating my top ten in the charts of pain...
(I can feel new classical Torilines making their way to my subconscious)
BLACK-DOVE (JANUARY) . January girl never got out of the house. This is a sad song and I have just now started to grow to like it. (I don't think that songs grow on us - we grow on them.) The lyrics are so beautiful and touching. I didn't realize that at first. Miscarriage has to be such a terrible thing. I guess I can never understand those feelings completely since I'm a boy... but sure this album has made me think about it! The melody reminds me of Sugar when she sings 'you're not a helicopter you're not a cop out either'. ('All the robins bring they bring me many things') And the loud parts remind me of Pretty Good Year's 'What's it gonna take...' A lovely song. The intro makes me think if this is the sound of piano how a baby hears it in the womb.
RASPBERRY SWIRL . She's the queen of the dance floor. Sometimes a woman has to be the man if the boys don't have the balls. I think this could be the message, but I'm not sure. Isn't it just wonderful how Tori leaves us with our own interpretations?! I like this song! But I can see why many people don't. Maybe it's just we shouldn't take Tori always so fucking seriously. I'm sorry. I've read comments about Raspberry Swirl saying that it's not Tori's style. Well, who's to decide what's her style after all? Besides, I couldn't think of any other artist making this kind of dance track but Tori! It is different, yes, but no-one could do it this way but her. I just love it. 'Things are getting desperate when all the boys can't be men'
JACKIE'S STRENGTH . This girl has grown up with the help of Jackie's strength. Ooooh how it's beautiful... My first thought was that this is such a typical ballad. But it is a Tori ballad. Absolutely a descendant of Marianne and Sister Janet. And sure, 'make me laugh...' has that magical beauty that gives me the cold shivers going down my back (in the good way I mean). 'You're only popular with anorexia' is the most touching line for me in this song, because I've lived that through couple of my female friends and I KNOW what's it about.
i i e e e . What has God to give to this little girl? This is one of the very best songs in the album! It opened to me after couple of times and I started to get these images in my mind... (I just love it when a song does that to me) iieee takes me to a dark cathedral, I can't help it. 'We scream in cathedrals why can't it be beautiful' It reminds me of my religious period that I had in my early teens. Just how many times since that have I wanted to scream in a church "Why does it have to be like this? Why can't it be just beautiful? Why does there have to be a sacrifice?" I just love religious imaginery and churches, but the religions have failed in their mission. There's a lot of noise when she gets to 'just say yes you little arsonist...' -part. I think that's something I would have considered twice before putting it into this beautiful song. But fortunately it wasn't AND isn't my choice to make. Tori has made it for me. And for us all. In iieee is New Tori at her best. There are piano elements as well as the band and some trip-hop. It's almost supernatural how she can create this kind of intensive work of pure beauty and passion. Most likely song to make me cry.
LIQUID DIAMONDS . Sometimes she just wants to drift with the stream. It's the most balanced song in the record. I wouldn't call it boring, though. It's hypnotic and draws a picture of someone floating in a river. Like Tori in the Plugged '98 ad. Liquid Diamonds is seventies-like slow-rock song that has a half-sister: Madonna's Swim from the Ray of Light album. (Damn, I didn't want to bring any outsider song comparisons!!!) I'm sure all of you guys would just love Liquid Diamonds if there were only Tori and the piano without the band in this track. The chorus is so low that it even reminds me of Honey! 'I guess I'm an underwater thing I'm liquid running'
SHE'S YOUR COCAINE . Who knows what is there in her pants. It's definitely a rock song. But it doesn't remind me of YKTR. I like the theme... The song could be dedicated to either rapists or transvestites! I have never been a friend of electric guitars, but I can accept this - everybody needs a change and this change is doing good for me. I like very much the part in the middle of the song where she sings 'Is it true that devils end up like you...' And the instant change back to 'I said she's your cocaine...' works amazingly well!
NORTHERN LAD . She got lost in the Gobi desert. This song didn't move me at all the first couple of times I heard it. But damn how it's beautiful now! Of the two ballads in the album, Northern Lad is maybe more fertil than Jackie's Strength. This could even be at home in Boys for Pele! Piano is a bit country-ish sometimes... but that just makes music in FtCH more variable. I like the lyrics. And the part where she sings 'Don't say that you don't and if you could see me now...' is extremely beautiful.
HOTEL . Different kind of people come in her life and get out of her life. Wow! I was totally blown away with this song. Even in the first time I heard it! It's ingenious. Hotel has so many different parts. It's almost a piece of opera. Rock-opera, that is. That's why it reminds me of seventies' Queen and other bombast rock bands, especially the 'where are the velvets' section. Hotel also reminds me of Little Earthquakes the song. Both of these songs manage to scare me. They are really vampire-ish! And when LE has three bridges, Hotel has five different parts that work well together in it. The parts go: A B C A B C D E. And I like them all. The ending is real cute, something that sounds like horns and brings us back to BfP's Putting the Damage on. Excellent song. Techno elements can't make Tori less Tori. I'd love to hear remixes of this song. But I still can't think of it being released as a single... at least not yet. 'I have to let you crash down' is my favourite part.
PLAYBOY MOMMY . For her daughter. Again a song inspired by the miscarriage. This is so sad and beautiful, it gives me shivers and could make me cry a bit. At the moment one of my favourites in this album (although I start to think that all the girls in this record are my favourites...) The best part is 'little girl they'll do you no harm cause they know your playboy mommy but you just tell em my name from here to Birmingham I got a few friends...'. It's just so touching. Jewel is not so bad comparison. The song has some country elements in it. But what is the instrument in the beginning? Accordion? It sounds so reassuring and reminds me a bit of BfP - again. I like Tori's voice in this song, it's a bit different and very strong. The whole track is really strong, too.
PANDORA'S AQUARIUM . Where she feels she's watched. Hey - the beginning sounds like old Tori! (In her most challenging mood...) But the real song doesn't show her face until in lovely 'File me up in single file with all your grievances...' 'Nautical nuns' is the verse that has haunted me the whole day... It just keeps showing up from nowhere no matter the situation! It's really an interesting image - a nautical nun. I'm sorry - here comes yet another comparison. Pandora's Aquarium makes me think of Kate Bush, it sounds like it could be from Kate's Never for Ever era back in 1980. But still it doesn't remind me of any single song. It's just the style, I guess. However, I think Pandora's Aquarium is just the right song to close the album.
I just happened to fall in love with From the Choirgirl Hotel. I guess it was bound to happen.
And for all those who can't get over Tori's supposed change of style. After all, there are songs that could have played parts in earlier albums, too. I think Northern Lad, Playboy Mommy, Jackie's Strength and Pandora's Aquarium could have existed with Boys for Pele, and Black-Dove (January) and Spark could go back as far as Under the Pink era. It's just songs like Raspberry Swirl and Hotel that are arousing prejudice. In vain.
Okay, I hope some of you had time and patience to read my opinion about Tori's newest album From the Choirgirl Hotel. I can't actually compare it to the others. Every album has it's own world and I happen to love them all.
I'd love to discuss about Tori and her music more with somebody. You can write to me, my address is sip@semi.pp.fi.
May 11, 1998 - Hello, MikeWhy and other fellow ears with feet! I got the CD the second our local record store opened on the 5th, and listened to it all day. At first, I really liked the songs, but in that shallow, detatched way that I like random songs played on the radio- not with the normal adoration that I save for Tori. I didn't hear the passion in her voice that was so apparent in BFP, or the emotions that poured through the piano in UtP, and especially not the stark nakedness of Tori's soul that was bared in LE. But now I DO. I love this CD. There is a power and a spirit that Tori has put into these songs that I have never detected before. For those of you that don't feel that in this album, give it time. Listen to it in a dark room with no one around and nothing to distract you, and I swear you'll find yourself writhing on the floor with the power in these songs. I think she has changed, and since she puts so much of herself into her music, that means her music has changed as well. The stories she tells are more apparent in this album than they have been since LE. Don't get me wrong, I love Tori's lyrics and how they just seep with meaning, but it's a lot easier to get her message in this album than it was in BFP. I love this album in comparison with the others like you would love your children: equally, but DIFFERENTLY. That's my general summary, but I'll run down through the songs:
Spark: fabulous. I love the chorus, and piano solo. This one is very radio-friendly but it still does not comprimise Tori's style. This will definitely be a classic.
Cruel: I love the DICTION of this song. Tori really expresses the mood of the piece by her word choice and even how she pronounces everything (that may sound funny, but that's what I feel most in this song.). The beat is really interesting, and it does seem like a new sound for Tori, but she ALWAYS introduces new sounds in her albums.
Black-Dove (January): I didn't really like this one at first, but it has definitely grown on me, and now I adore it. The "But I have to get to TEXAS" line gets me every time. And the galaxy part reminds me very much of "Flying Dutchman" and the rocketship stuff.
Raspberry Swirl: Well, I heard early on that this song was remniscient of techno music, and that turned me off right away. I HATE that type of music. So I was prepared to just detest this song, but crazily enough, I LOVE it!! It's catchy, I have it in my head all the time, and her voice just penetrates me. This is one of my favs.
Jackie's Strength: I love this song. Very "Marianne." May be my favorite on the album. I love the lines "if you love a lot you lie a lot, guess they did in Camelot" and "you're only popular with anorexia so I turn myself inside out and hope someone will see." This one makes me cry.
Iieee: Another one I didn't like at first. But it didn't take long for this to become a favorite of mine. VERY powerful and meaningful. Tori almost sounds like she's crying when she sings "I know that we're dying and there's no sign of a parachute." And she says the word "arsonist" PERFECTLY. That part reminds me of BFP.
Liquid Diamonds: Well, I haven't really bonded with this song yet. I know I will, though, because I already find myself humming it randomly.
She's Your Cocaine: I go crazy every time I hear the great intro to this song. It's GREAT. The "And is it true?" part reminds me SO much of the "right on time..." section of CALS. I really think this one should be played on the radio, too.
Northern Lad: Okay. Sometimes there are Tori songs I love so much I can't even talk about them. "Here. In my head." was one. "Putting the Damage on" was one. This is another.
Hotel: Hmm. Truly, I just haven't listened to this one very much. I don't know why, but I just don't pay attention to this song. I will, though. I did the same thing with "Space Dog" and then I loved that one. It just hasn't clicked for me yet.
Playboy Mommy: Wow. The piano in this is wonderful. And the lyrics are so sad. Just as I have dried my eyes from "Jackie's Strength"...
Pandora's Aquarium: Well, I don't like the beginning to this song. It reminds me of the BFP B-sides that I wasn't too fond of ("Frog on my Toe," "Sister Named Desire," and "Alamo"), but then it gets much better. I really love this song.
I've also heard Merman and the B-sides on the Spark singles (Cooling, Purple People, Do it Again, etc.) and I love them as well. Altogether, I think this is a great album...it was put together wonderfully (ballad, then faster song, then ballad, etc.) and is a great addition to my Tori collection. All of her albums are so distinct and fabulous that it just makes me remember how amazingly talented the goddess really is.
May 11, 1998 - Hi. I've never posted here before, but I'd like to share my views on the new album. Tori's music means so much to me - I feel like I can get lost in her songs in ways that doesn't happen with many other artists. I also love Radiohead, U2, some REM (not their last album, though), Bjork, Prince, and (yes, I admit it) Madonna, just so that you know where I'm coming from. I bought LE in 94, shortly before I picked up UTP and have been a huge fan ever since. I feel that Tori's albums are so alive - I always change my opinions as to which one is my favorite, what I like about them, what the songs mean. I read in a review that the great thing about Tori is that she grows with you. I couldn't agree more. FTCH did not let me down. I see how LE, UTP, and BFP are a trilogy, and to mine that territory any more would be dangerous. For those of you missing the "girl and her piano" thing, I recommend you stick with this. I like techno and electronica, so this album went down very easy for me, but if you don't this could be a cool introduction :) I'll give my song by song analysis:
Spark - I like this one a lot, and I like it loud. I actually like the distortion. When her voice emerges sans effects, it feels like someone is coming out from underwater, making a breakthrough. Cool stuff.
Cruel - Very sensual and kind of icy. Placing it after "Spark" was a clever move.
Black-Dove - More traditional Tori. I like it, and it works well with the album, but the cuts that I'm more interested in are the ones that show her breaking new ground. This one doesn't.
Raspberry Swirl - Just about my favorite. This song is SO sexy. Her vocal delivery is totally breathless and over the top and I LOVE IT! Plus, the image of making a raspberry swirl has to be one of the best metaphors for intercourse that I've ever heard. Go Tori! There's also something darker here that prevents this from just being a one-dimensional lust-fest. In a way, it reminds me on "Skin" on Madonna's new one - very sexy, but also slightly disturbing. I love songs that are difficult to open up sometimes - they can offer the best rewards. This one's not as easy as some of you guys think it is.
Jackie's Strength - Beautiful. This is also kind of traditional, but I like it better than Black Dove. The images are great, the words play off of each other brilliantly (bridesmaids / getting laid), and it's just lovely . . . .
Iieee - Cool song, but I don't really have an opinion on it yet.
Liquid Diamonds - This is one I know I'll appreciate more the more I hear it.
She's Your Cocaine - Another favorite. I love how Tori gets all nasty and plays around with gender issues, having men shaving their legs and women as victimizers in this song. I appreciate that she doesn't just make guys assholes in her songs - she writes from a more open view and has fun too. And it ROCKS!
Northern Lad - The high notes are a little too melodramatic for my tastes, but the words are so beautiful, especially "I guess we've gone too far / When pianos try to be guitars." That's one of her best lines ever, and I don't even view it in relation to her change in musical style - it describes relationships changing tune and texture, moving on, pretending to be something else and coming out all wrong.
Hotel - Cool, but not my favorite. It sounds great, but other artists can do this kind of techno more convincingly than she can (Sorry, Tori).
Playboy Mommy - So powerful and sad. I love songs like this. It tells a heartbreaking story in a heartbreaking way.
Pandora's Aquarium - A nice finish. I personally can't stand "Yes, Anastasia". I think this is much better closer.
In all, my favorites for now are "Raspberry Swirl", "Jackie's Strength", "She's Your Cocaine", and "Playboy Mommy." This is a great album, and it's a shame that some old fans don't like it. Tori is changing and challenging herself and us, and I wouldn't have it any other way! I can't compare it to other albums yet, but I will say it's easier to like than UTP and BFP. Those were very challenging works, and although I love them, I had difficulties growing to love them. LE is so diary like that it's hard not to understand and fall in love with it. In that way, I think this one is more like LE. This record is incredible, and it's such a wonderful progression for her. With some artists, you have to recommend their albums out of order (For U2, for example, I'd tell someone to get The Joshua Tree, then Pop, then Achtung Baby, then Zooropa - trust me, I have my reasons!). Tori's records have to be heard in the order that they were released in. I feel like this one may be the start of a new trilogy, and it's exciting stuff.
May 8, 1998 - I've now listened to the album about 10 times in the last two days (at home, at school, in my car - everywhere) and my opinion on it has changed since I first heard it. I'm sure it will change still the more I listen to it. I must admit that I was a *tiny* bit disappointed with it at first, and although I have NEVER been disappointed with anything tori has ever done, I think this is the worst of her four albums... it's still good - I just like the other ones better. Choirgirl is defiantly growing on me though, and there are some songs I just love.
SPARK: This is defiantly one of the best songs on the album. I think the chorus is gorgeous, and the bridge is powerful. It's a great first single, and one of my favorite tori songs ever. I think that it is one of those few songs that is catchy and the public will like it, but so will the fans, because it's not crap. I love how the full band sounds on this one
CRUEL: My least favorite on the album. It's just not her style at ALL. The lyrics are so powerful - I love them, and the song is catchy as hell, but I still don't like it. When you compare it to songs like YES ANASTASIA, FATHER LUCIFER, or UPSIDE DOWN it is a throwaway. However, I still find I always have it stuck in my head, so maybe it isn't so bad after all.
BLACK-DOVE (JANUARY): My very favorite song on the whole album. I liked it the first time I heard it - I think the beginning is lovely with the mallet piano and her singing "By the woods, by the woods.... black dove". Then the loud bridge comes in - it's just awesome. At first it reminded me of bells for her... but it's not anything like it - very creative. It has a really dreamy feel to it with the clear vocals and the muffled piano, and then the swelling guitar on the chorus...
RASPBERRY SWIRL: Again, this one is not her style... but it's way better than CRUEL IMO. I really like the beat, it's a great catchy song, and the piano sounds great in it. The lyrics are strong too. I love all the overlaying vocals... this song is obviously very experimental, but it's my favorite of the "electronic" ones on the album.
JACKIE'S STRENGTH: This is a lovely song, but it's not one of my favorites. There is a funny hiss in the background if you listen to it after some of the other CHOIRGIRL songs. The instruments sound nice, and so does her voice. It's a nice song, and it sounds more like her old style of music. My favorite part is the third verse where all the BG instruments fade out and she goes "I got lost on my wedding day..." It's really pretty.
Iieee: Wow. This is one of the best songs on the album. It is so different, but so great! I love the chorus "we scream in cathedrals..." it's really catchy, but not in a bad way... it is fantastic. The best part of course is where it goes insane in the middle and she says (all distorted) "JUST SAY YES - You little arsonist" It's great. The bass and drums in this song are exceptional... and I find the beat is a lot different from the rest of the songs which sound kind of similar in that way. And it has a cool title! I like songs that build up, and this one defiantly does.
Liquid Diamonds: I never feel like listening to this one, but I like it whenever it comes on. The lyrics are awesome, and the song is dreamy and creepy.... the chorus comes and sounds like some R&B song - very cool - then she starts wailing "Liquid Diamonds" - it's so cool. The end is great with all that improv stuff. It is 6 and a half minutes but doesn't seem like it at all.
She's Your Cocaine: For sure this is the most recognizable track... I love it... it's so much fun, and it's so happy (yet angry). Totally Led Zeppelin. The best part is the bridge where she goes "Is it true? Devils end up like you?" and she plays the organ..... it's lovely. It's fun to sing along on this one.
Northern Lad: My other favorite. At first I didn't like it... but this one is lovely. Musically it is quite different from her other stuff (it's a nice ballad with a full band - prior to this, most of her nice ballads were all on piano - and there is a cool chord progression in this song) but lyrically it could have EASILY fit in on Boys For Pele. It's about breaking up, and it's SO SAD... the tune, and the way she sings "If you could see me now..." makes me feel so sad... one of those songs I can't listen to too often (sister janet is another one of those for me) but it is stunning.
Hotel: When I first heard it I hated it, but with many listens I realize that I absolutely LOVE it! It's so creative and cool! Starts off all repetitive techno - then turns into opera techno - then turns into pretty sparkly techno - repeats - THEN the full band and piano comes in on "WHERE ARE THE VELVETS" - awesome! Then it ends with just tori on the piano... it's so cool - and the organ thingee at the very end is so cute.
Playboy Mommy: The instruments on this are so crisp and clear and so is her voice... another sad song, but this one is also quite dark... I really like it. I HONESTLY can't hear Willy porters guitar on it though! The slide guitar is easily recognizable, but not the acoustic (or electric - I don't know) very good song though.
Pandora's Aquarium: This was a pleasant surprise... I thought this would be a lot different - I just LOVE it. A cool jazzy song, unlike anything I've ever heard by her, but it has a very tori-ish chorus "line me up in single file..." but then goes all jazzy again... it's great... a strange way to end the album though. Northern lad would probably be a better last song. but this one is cool.
Overall: Favorites are iieee, northern lad, and black dove. I can't really say if I'm disappointed or not... I'm not disappointed so much with the music, but more with the whole Idea of her becoming a popular huge star and playing in big arenas... I thought it was cool seeing her in little theaters... I also miss her solo piano ballads (of course... there is merman and cooling though - those are fantastic!) but I miss the harpsichord, and I'm not completely nuts about all the electronic stuff... There were some really cool b-sides though - I LOVE do it again and cooling.
The artwork for the album is far superior to all her other CD's (she probably had a much higher budget), and I think the cover is my favorite of any album or single or anything! I know it's not very deep and meaningful, but I think it is awesome! The photos inside are very dark, but very cool.
The sound quality on all the songs is really great - with the exception of JACKIE'S STRENGTH, cause I notice a significant HISS in that one.
May 8, 1998 - I have to tell you that I am absolutely in love with chorigirl hotel. I wasn't expecting too much from it for some reason but it has completely blown me away! From what little I've seen of what she's been doing live (I was unable to get tickets to the fillmore show), I didn't think the cd would do much justice, cos the little bits and pieces that I've seen kick fatass ass. However, I was instantly disproved when I popped it into my radio. I skipped my morning classes to get to Tower as soon as it opened, and it was mucho worth it. Playboy mommy made me cry the first time I heard it, it's so sad, but at the same time it's a hopeful song. Liquid Diamonds, iieee and Cruel are defenitely my favorites right now. I like what she's done with the addition of the band. It really adds to her work, but it doesn't take away from it. On Tuesday I was listening to the cd while I was driving, minding my own business, happy as a lark, and some buttmunch JerkBoy made a left turn and smashed into me, but (and this illustrates what an effect Tori has on me, because I acted mucho abnormally for me in this situation) I wasn't even mad at all. I didn't yell at him and cuss him out like I did to the last guy who hit me cos I was just so damn happy about this new album........
May 7, 1998 - I'm sure that you must be getting sick of all the Choirgirl Hotel reviews flooding in (or maybe not, I sure enjoyed reading them all...) So what the heck, here's my own impressions about the album. Like so many before me, I'm listening to the album right now, and reviewing it as I go along. Worry not, though, I've listened to it just about non-stop since I picked it up, Tuesday. I'm not going to do much talking about the lyrics, they seem to mean something unique to each listener, and it's not my place to say whose interpretation is right or wrong. Ratings are out of 10.
Spark.
I happen to live in a city whose radio stations wouldn't know who Tori was
if she jumped up and "bit them on the butt." So (thankfully?) I haven't
been pummeled with this song non stop. Don't get me wrong, it's one of my
favourite 11 songs on the album... I think I listened to the Letterman live
performance too many times first, though-- when it comes to the "How many
fates turn around" bridge, I always expect the band to really kick in,
instead of disappear. I give this one a 8.5
Cruel.
I love the intro, I love Tori's disjuncted vocal style, I love that heavy
fuzz-bass sound, I love the multilayered ethereal vocal section near the
end, I just love everything about this song. Again, more radio-friendly
than most of her previous work (but not shallow enough to get airplay in my
town). "As you sh-sh-shock me sane" is permanently engraved on my brain. I
can't sleep at night anymore, without hearing this song in my dreams... 9.5
Black Dove (January).
I had some big hopes for this song... the super-muffled piano intro reminds
me very much of Mother and Bells for Her. "By the woods" is another hook
planted in my grey matter. The strings are so subtle when they come in....
and this effect is nearly ruined by the "Other side of the galaxy" section.
That just sounds so- primitive. It's loud and self-defeating. However,
this crowded, insensitive section of the song really makes me appreciate the
verses. Overall, I still like this song. Is it just me, is Tori determined
to end almost every song with a breathy, distorted, vocal treatment? Hmm,
about 6.5 or 7
Raspberry Swirl.
On each of Tori's albums there has been a single song that irritated the
hell out of me at first, but eventually became a favourite (or at least
tolerable). LE, there was Precious Things (oooh, do I love that one), UTP
it was the crazy guitar of God that challenged me, and on BFP Professional
Widow slapped me around a lot before I could like it. So, I've forced
myself to listen to this song over and over... in hopes that I could find a
single good aspect of it. No such luck. There is no progression in the
song, no dramatics, no dynamics, no tenderness, no convincing testosterone.
It is simply loud, throbbing, repettitive, and headache provoking. The
lyrics are just peachy, if I could endure the rest of the mess to hear them.
This song is about two inches away from permanent skip mode... and if it
weren't Tori, I would never listen to it again. 2. Or maybe 1.
Jackie's Strength.
Ahh, now that I've got that negativity out of my system, I can go on to what
may be a favourite of mine. This one instantly reminds me of Marianne, but
not quite as sorrowful. I LOVE the arrangement of the strings... and of
course the piano. Mmmhmm. Good stuff. 8.5
iieee.
Another great one. I just love the percussion on this album, first Cruel,
and now this song really impress me with the rhythms... I like the vocal
work during the chorus, but here I think the string work is a bit too much.
The distorted electric guitar section near the middle works, much better
than I expected it would. Actually, it more than just works, it ROCKS! 8.5
Liquid Diamonds.
I love the bass/piano/drum intro. Very moody... reminds me a little some
song from Moist's first album. The rhythmic vocal section leading up to the
chorus (could you call this rap?) reminds me very much of Siren, only
softer. I like this song, but it doesn't really grab my attention... 7
She's Your Cocaine.
This song has a very catchy (or annoying, depending on my mood) tempo. The
guitars remind me somewhat of Steve Caton's work on UTP. I love the pipe
bridge, but it makes me even more vunerable to the shrieking that follows.
This is a song to listen to for it's lyrics, just one quotable line after
another. Cute ending, but it's not a song I miss once it's over. 6.5
Northern Lad.
Someone mentioned Baker Baker in reference to this song... and I think that
is a very fitting comparison. This is a very beautiful song, and more like
the "old" Tori. The chorus reminds me very much of part of Hey Jupiter.
One line seems especially noteworthy, in light of the new direction Tori's
taken: "I guess you go to0 far, when pianos try to be guitars." There's much
else I feel like writing about this song, I'm enjoying it too much right
now. 8.5
Hotel.
I don't see what the big fuss is about this song. I really like the sound
of it, the tempo changes, and Tori's glorious and powerful singing. There
are several instruments in this song that I just can't identify (must be
electronic). I would much prefer Tori to continue with this type of song,
than to go on making Dance Mix wannabe's like Raspberry Swirl. I really get
a kick out of the horn ending... sensitive, sombre, and cute all at once. 9.5
Playboy Mommy.
I love this song... jazzy, playful, and heart rending all at once. This is
one that I can't get through with dry eyes. The drums throughout remind me
a little of NIN's Piggy. The weeping steel guitars at the end don't really
help this song much, IMHO. Sounds a bit like Jewel
(forgive-me-please-pretend-i-didn't-say-that....) 8
Pandora's Aquarium.
This song always puts me to sleep after the rest of the album. I should
rephrase that: this song lays the album to rest, so I can get some sleep.
(Maybe my review is tainted by the fact that my sleeping habits have been
seriously messed up ever since I bought this CD. As in: I get no sleep at
all anymore, until the album's finished. Usually, not until the album has
finished it's 3rd or 4th repeat, that is.) Anyway, it's quiet, pretty, and
Tori sings beautifully. I'm glad she finished the album with this, it
brings a good close. 8
Okay, that's about it. Tallying up the points:
Awesome/Favourites: Spark, Cruel, Jackie's Strength, iieee, Hotel.
Slightly less awesome: Liquid Diamonds, Playboy Mommy, Pandora's Aquarium, Northern Lad.
Good, but imperfect: Black Dove (January), She's Your Cocaine
Don't even like to think about it: Raspberry Swirl
I'm not going to compare this to any of Tori's previous albums yet, because to do so would be very difficult, and I'd do a lousy job. I like Tori's new direction, but not more or less than her old direction (if that makes any sense.) My only other comment, about this album as a whole, is that there seems to be less variety in the sound/mood than on her others (especially BFP). Oh well.
May 7, 1998 - As evident by previous reviews, there is a definite contrast in opinion between Tori fans who loved her work as it was and Tori fans wanting her to grow. I'm a want-her-to-grower. :) THIS ALBUM IS GREAT!
Spark: 10
Great song! I loved "Winter" and "SATY", but in some of Tori's
other works I would wish she would get some musical emotion out! This
song finally brings it out! And the video is a beautiful compliment!
Cruel: 10
Love it. Flat out! I love the new Tori sound!
Black-dove: 9.5
Getting the idea the album is almost ranked in the order of my
faves? ;) I love this song as well, although I don't feel it's fair to
Spark or Cruel to rate it the same. I'm having trouble interpreting
this one, but "in a tiny kinda scary house" and "in the woods" brings a
bit of eerieness. :)
Raspberry Swirl: 10
I wouldn't be able to stand a 100% techno-Tori but when she does it,
it's just fantastic! One per album is perfect and I'm glad she followed
up Professional Widow with this one! i suspect Tori fans will either
rate this song a 10 or a 0 with no points in between.
Jackie's Strength: 9
Lovely. It loses a point because some of the base of the music is
derived form others. But it's manipulated and made amazing and is a
very touching song. Sounds a lot like the old Tori, aside from the
band. ;)
i i e e e: 9.9
GREAT! I'm dissapointed some others don't love this song. The "i i
ee e "ing in the background is very primal. This song and Spark are the
two who's beats I can't jar from my head.
Liquid Diamonds: 4
Tori's first slip up. It used to be at a 0.5, so a 4 is a
compliment. It's a nice song but it doesn't fit with the great first
6. I'm not a jazz fan, which is an element this one takes to heart.
(George Porter Jr.'s first appearance on the album I believe.) Old Tori
fans will appreciate this one.
She's Your Cocaine: 9.5
A good tune. Definitely more fit for LIVE consumption. It sounds
like Tori is trying to be improvish, but on a CD it doesn't work. Well,
it works obviously, but this song would get a 10 if I heard it live!
Great programming music. ;) I could live without the ambiguous "Cut it
again!"
Northern Lad: 8
I'm stuck on this one. It has great wording but I wish the tune
would pick up. It's funny, it's definitely classic Tori but when ya
throw it in between these new Tori selections it loses it's flavor. I
would have to believe that this song would earn at least a 9 if it were
on one of the previous 3 albums. You'll notice the song starts very
quickly. Kind of unusual for Tori who usually dabbles with the Piano
for a while before starting. :)
Hotel: 2
Yuck. I think she reached too far and landed in "new sound"
territory. One of the two songs that I wished never appeared on the
album. Luckily the other one is the last track.
Playboy Mommy: 7.5
Love the lyrics, but the melody is still growing on me. Jury still
out on my final feeling about this one
Pandora: 0
Didn't earn a point. The worst part of this song is when you look
at the CD and see the next song is called "Pandora's Aquarium" and then
she starts off the song with an elongated, "Paaaaaaannndoooora"
UGGGG!
I love the album for two reasons. One, it's GREAT! Second, I see Tori is moving in the direction I've wanted her to! Bringing across your message is great, but if radio stations don't play it...no one will hear it. With this album, people will begin to hear it. I rate this CD a first place tie with Little Earthquakes! (Little Earthquake had too many CLASSICS to be beaten, ever)
May 7, 1998 - .....im not even sure if i like the word 'review'....it sounds like i have the right to critique tori, and i know as well as anyone else that her talent supercedes mine! so, i guess this is my impression, rather....ive listened to the disk a few times through now and i have to say that i LOVE (am i gushing?) rasberry swirl. so its not the tori we have grown up with...who gives a rats? really, its awesome....can hardly sit in my seat for it...its different, but change is something we all must grow to love because, hey, it happens. iieee.....i LOVE this one too. of course i LOVE northern lad...reminders of tori past. the rest of the cd is still being learned (except spark, but i had that memorized long before the release of ftch), but i usually listen to a few songs religiously for a while then turn to a new 'girl' to give me an insight or two, so i guess they will all come around sooner or later. after all, so did le, utp, and bfp. TO TORIPHILES HAVING TROUBLE LIKING THE ALBUM: DONT GIVE UP HOPE....MAYBE ONE DAY IT WILL CLICK FOR YOU!
May 7, 1998 - I like the new album. I can't say it's my favorite (nothing will ever beat the connections Boys For Pele made with me) but I have to say that I like the mix of the new album. I love Tori as a lonly piano girl, but let's face it she can't keep doing the same thing over and over. No matter how much we complain about the new, we would also complain about the repetitivness.
Everything that makes Tori, Tori is alive in this album. It's very magical, and like tripping through a fairies field you never know where the next turn will take you. Follow the map at the beginning of the album as you listen to the songs. Watch as the songs take you over the bridge and through the mountains. It is so masterfully laid out to us. I love the way the album looks the most. THough I love Cindy's photography I think this Cd has a much more beautiful package than the other three. There is something so serene about the four part centerfold that it gave me chills. The images are so dark they haunt me. Raspberry Swirl is the one song that gets suck in my head the most (which has gotten me into trouble with other Toriphiles for they feel that I've really loved her music before if I only find the electronica amazing). The song to me is alive and energetic like God and Cornflake Girl or my absolute favorite Talula. There's something that pulls you with this song. My favorite song on the album and running a close second to Talula as my all time favorite Tori song is Playboy Mommy which was so amazing I can't even explain it. My roommate pointed out how I seem to have a thing for the songs that concern dead babies (we are both convinced that Talula is about the decision to have or not to have an abortion). I like the album...overall it's very new and will open the gates of Tori's never changing personality and opinions to an entirely new crowd.
May 7, 1998 - On Tuesday May 5th, I went and bought the tape and CD of Choirgirl Hotel. I smiled when listening to it.
As always, Tori is a genius!
The CD booklet is so creative and individual.
The way she mixes careful looks, looking beautiful with being eccentric always puzzles and enchants me to her.
She has really grown up, as she says, she became a woman! I am proud of her for this!
My favorite song is by far "Raspberry Swirl" It makes me laugh and dance. I also love Spark and Jackie's Strength equally.
I am down about people not understnading and growing as well. Some of us are stuck in the past and in childhood, saying they will abandon sweet Tori because she grew up.
I ask of you to grow up yourselves and love her, for she is only being truthful to herself, how would you like her to play piano ballads forever when inside she is dying and long past that stage.
Let her fly
and don't be afraid to fly with her.
She is a woman of great strength and vigour
and will continue to inspire you as long
as you believe in her magic!
May 7, 1998 - i wish i had the time to write the composed, well-constructed essay that i'd like to on from the choirgirl hotel, but, sadly, three jobs kinda prevents that. however, i do have the time to offer some impromptu thoughts on what i believe to be one of tori's richest and most challenging collections. Ý i am saddened to read the reports >from other ears with feet who believe that tori has "left them" or "sold out". i don't believe this to be the case at all. i think that tori values her ears with feet greatly. for example, tori certainly didn't have to "warn" the public that the forthcoming album would shift focus >from sol-piano performance. she did so because she didn't want any listeners to feel isolated. i think, if anything, the music tori composes and performs is very very internal and it comes how it comes. she didn't really "choose" to sway from her original formula, this was simply how the girls walked onto the catwalk. it is the inherent, beautiful, raw passion that is inherent to the tori we all know and love that makes this compililation so striking and incredible.i encourage all toriphiles who are questionable about how they feel about choirgirl to consider returning to the album and attempting to empathize with tori- and maybe feel the tropical sunbeams as she did when the girls first starting creeping from the shadows. Ý if anything, spark stands as really the title work of the album. she knows all the girls well, i think and maybe has the room with the best view. she knows most of the worst secrets and she's just starting to feel the groove. the piano is still brave with spark and is starting to make friends with the other players. she's an incredible lyrical journey, and one that won't soon fade. Ý i think cruel has already enjoyed the mai tais on the deck and maybe turned up the synth a little when tori was taking a nap. there's a lot of movement with her and she's likes to be a little dirty sometimes and a little renegade, i think. tori might have been in a bit of trance when this one showed up and maybe started to show her the way. Ý some are a little older in this hotel and i think Black-Dove (January) is one of those. she is a little more restrained and her thoughts are somewhat more composed in terms of where she wants to go. and i'm not really talking about texas here either. she's already experienced her good cry and this is sometime in the early morning before anyone else has gotten up. Ý but we go back to highchairs or at least jockstraps with Raspberry Swirl. tori wasn't afraid of the sexuality when she first visited with this chick. Swirl wants to be one of those songs that people fuck to, and yet she has her own insecurites and she gets kind of messy sometimes. Ý Jackie's Strength stays somewhere in the center and likes to look at scrapbooks with tori. she's soft at heart but there's something under the surface that isn't just sweetness and light. yes, she's very pretty when you've only met her once, but it's worth your while to spend some time talking to her. Ý tori was dreaming and in the points between awake and asleep iieee came and wanted to talk. she gets very angry half-way through and tori almost wakes up but she's lulled back to sleep and in that sleep she dreams of anne bolyn and maybe even eric. we all move on but sometimes it's hard not to remember. Ý she's not yet drunk and she hasn't finished all the chores and liquid diamonds really likes to play dress up. this is another one that has gone through some pretty extreme mindfucks but if you spend the time to get inside her brain it's very different inside there and you end up looking back at yourself in the mirror and you like it. Ý She's your cocaine still ahngs out sometimes with iiiee but they get into huge fights so they make sure they are at least a room apart most of the time. they might have been lovers once but cocaine screamed too much during sex and decided she was straight anyone. Ý Northern Lad's gotten over her prozak addiction. she cries quietly in the dark and wants to have children someday. not yet though, it's still a little too soon. Ý maybe Hotel does manage all of the rooms. she keeps the keys on her belt loops and breaks up the fights. in the middle of the night she studies her music and likes the tempo changes. she's a little okay and wants to sing on the radio some day. i like to give her my support and have coffee with her. she's still partial to decaf. Ý i wanted to curl up with playboy mommy and i usually don't feel that way about girls. i like her new skin very much and how she can restrain herself even when she's baring everything. she's even beautiful on the outside. Ý Pandora's Aquarium stays at the end because she has some punctuality problems and it'll be awhile before she takes the stage in front of people. she's a strong girl though, verystrong and independent. Ý i want my own room at the choirgirl hotel and i encourage all of the other ears with feet to keep checking in, even if they are a little confused at first. tori knows these girls well and once again she is offering us so much. Ý just my thoughts, jason*one day a*happy phantom
May 7, 1998 - i got out of school and went directly to blockbuster music I saw the CD and it looked amazing...The cover was GREAT! I got the CD and put it on my portable Cd player. I always kinda "scan" new Cd's to identify those songs one instantly likes:
Spark: Amazing from the first time I heard it. Unlike most 'philes I enjoy the distortion its "different" I like different.
Cruel: Great song, i like the fact that you can move to it not dance but kinda move back and forth. Kinda repetitive but who cares! I liked it live the chanting of "Sufi" or something like that.
Black-Dove: I was not impressed with this one I knew it would grow on me...especially the chorus.
Raspberry Swirl: I did not like it when I first heard it and I thought that perhaps the rest of the album would be similar. After hearing it about three more times it has grown on me....Yeah when I am happy or in a great mood this song will be my anthem.
Jackie's Strength: I liked it from the beginning it was much like Tori's previous stuff.
iieee: Very COOL. I really liked it, again you can kinda get in a trance listening to this one, moving back and forth, I loved the beginning, i loved it all. kinda reminds me of latin beats much slower, cuban, some spanish stuff.
Liquid Diamonds: I did not like it at first now I can appreciate it much more, yep I like it.
She's your Cocaine: GREAT SONG! I liked it from beginning to finish, it was really awesome, different but still Tori...you can't expect Tori to remain the same forever she is changing and besides anything she does I love, remember Boys for Pele? So many people hated it, it was difficult but it took time to process it.
Nortthern Lad: Still kinda "amateur" especially the first two lines. "Had a northern lad, well not exactly had" it kinda sounds like stuff I would write! not horrible just not great either.
Hotel: Still processing it.
Playboy Mommy: I really liked it! Has that country thing going but subtle don't worry, great song.
Pandora's Aquarium: Awesome! I loved it, the Greek mythology is alive here. Jazzy. Pandora=Tori? Persephone, remember is the Queen of the Underworld (Queen of the DEAD) when she is with Hades.
I really like the New Album, much more than when I first heard Boys for Pele. When I heard BfP I felt so stupid, after a few months I loved it so much, it became a masterpiece, it was filled with emotion, anger, sadness, so much emotion. this album is about POWER, all this songs wield power and they are not without resources (Except Northern Lad) LOL
May 7, 1998 - anyway, i was reading some of the reviews on the dent, and i saw a lot of it 'will grow on me's and i wanted to say something. this new cd does have a very different sound for tori, but only in that there is less piano and more guitar and electronica. but i am curious as to exactly why people where suprised, because in several reviews that were linked to your page it is said that this would be her new sound. i also think that this is not evolution for tori, rather tori, with new voices added to her musical vocabulary. this is exactly how i imagined tori would sound if she played the guitar. i think that people are just suprised that the traditional tori has picked up a new tool to express her feelings. no one said anything about the harpsichord on 'boys for pele' when it didn't sound anything like the piano. the reason; because tori plays it the same way a piano would be played. unfortunately you can't play a guitar like a piano. but it still sounds like her. 'raspberry swirl' (which i keep seeing appearing as rasberry instead of raspberry) is the equivalent to 'professional widow', with a guitar replacing the voice of the harpsichord. so i don't see what the big deal is.
i don't think there is anything hinting that tori is de-evolving or become a public-pleasing make-music-for-the-populous artist. she just found a new way to say what she has been saying all along.
May 7, 1998 - What the hell went wrong?!? I don't like the new album! The other 3 Tori albums have really touched me from the first time I heard them until today. But "choirgirl" doesn't do it for me at all. I really don't understand why she had to change her ways. I like the girl and the piano thing (not the girl and the band thing)!!!!! This album is definitely her worst! I want the old Tori back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
May 7, 1998 - Besides writing this to encourage every Toriphile to PLEASE give the choirgirls a try (don't be afraid!), this is sort of gathering my opinions together so I can write a review of it for my school newspaper, which I shall post when it's published. First of all, I adore the album art. The art for all of her albums fit the songs so perfectly, like visual representations of the feel within them (at least for me). The BfP did this so well, I was afraid the new photographer wouldn't hold a candle to Cindy, but she holds her own quite well. The first time I saw the CHG cover, it struck me as being like an ancient cave painting; but it's so many other things, too. She's floating underwater. She floating in the air. She's pressed between the pages of a book, like a flower. And the map is so cuuuute! Anyway, on to the songs.
*Spark* know it. love it. next.
*Cruel* At first I didn't care much for the electronica on this song, but the quote of her bopping out the rhythm on her "excess fat" made me grin :). The "i can be cruel" chorus is very cool, and the "sh-sh=shock me sane" part gets me like a shot to the heart. The weird voice quaverings and layerings at the end are spooky.
*Black-Dove (January)* I can barely put my feelings about this one into words. The "other side of the galaxy" just floors me. I'm not myself anymore....I knew from the moment I read the lyrics to this months ago I would love it. And the "gotta get to TEXAS" part makes me feel all warm and squishy inside, because I live near Dallas. Yay! Play this song LOUDLY.
*Raspberry Swirl* I can't help it. I want to start breakdancing to this dorky little tune every time it comes up. Just imagine being dropped headfirst into a churning dancefloor, whether you like it or not. Unfortunately, it kinda looses steam near the end; I wish she could have kept the verse going.
*Jackie's Strength* This one's so lovely. It makes me feel nostalgic, even though I wasn't even a thought in my adolescent parents' minds when all the events surrounding Jackie happened! I have a feeling that the chorus (you said you were the real thing) is directed towards Mark...which is sweet, if I'm right. This song had probably the most literal lyrics in any Tori girl I've ever heard.
*i i e e e* Tori gets VICIOUS! Every time I hear this song I have a gut feeling it's directed towards God (the way she snarls JUST SAY YES), as though she's daring Him to say that this was all His fault. The ieeeeee chorus is hypnotic, like the "give me life, give me pain" line from Little Earthquakes. Aside from pure anger, she lets out a vulnerable wail at the "i know we're dying, and there's no sign of a parachute". One of my favorites.
*Liquid Diamonds* This girl kinda slips away from my conscious and into somewhere else; that's why I don't notice her much. But the line "and when your friends don't come back to you--you know this is madness" makes my heart hurt every time I hear it. There's stuff underlying this song that I'm not sure anyone could pin down.
*She's Your Cocaine* Probably has some of the best lyrics on the whole album, IMO. I can easily imagine Tori doint this with an evil nasty fun silly little grin ;). She rocks out and generally has a wild little time (i did!).
*Northern Lad* A sad, beautiful song. To me it sounds if Tori is turning her own page in life, to something....different. The line about the "but i feel something is wrong/but i feel this cake just isn't done" seems to be about her miscarriage (think "bun in the oven") and it makes me want to cry...I would die to hear this song sans drums.
*Hotel* Beth Winegartner (sp?) was right about Hotel--it does sound like some kind of spy movie. Some of the techno effects sound too much like that "life in Mono" song for my comfort, but overall a song that has growing potential. For some reason the "give me more" part makes me think of vampires. The nearly a capella ending is haunting, and the bizarre harmonium (or something) ending makes an already strage song even stranger. At first I thought it was part of Playboy Mommy!
--Neil alert-- I was very disappointed at first when I heard there wasn't a "neil" song on this album, but the allusion to velvets makes up for it. The velvets are called so because they wear very dark shades of velvet dresses, and are very pale. They aren't your typical vampires--they suck your warmth, not your blood. And they're very nice girls, too.
*Playboy Mommy* The way Tori talks about this song, I wish I could like it more. I really do. But it just doesn't strike any chords in me like the others do. Mommy is simply "ok". No big emotions for me. For the one song that is entirely about poor Tori's miscarriage, it misses the mark. That and the slide guitar annoys the hell out of me. Perhaps it's better live.
*Pandora's Aquarium* One of the things I adore most about Tori is that each of the last songs on each of her albums has an awesome, heart-wrenching significance. They bring the rest of the songs together. Not so for Pandora: it sort of goes with the feel of the album, that the order of the songs doesn't really matter. I have a feeling this girl is the one who has the weird fantasies in room 13. I do like this song, however; the "thoughts you thought you'd never tell" line chills me cold. It is very like Sister Named Desire; Tori stops to have a sandwich with Delirium.
May 7, 1998 - At first listen, I was in shock. I sat through the entire album with my jaw on the carpet. I knew it would be different, but I didn't expect this much of a difference!!! However, I would be lying if I didn't admit that I LOVE this album.
A lot of Toriphiles are complaining and crying over it. This really burns me. People who "disagree" with the changes that Tori has made in this album are obviously not mature enough to realize that as an artist, one needs to change once in a while. One needs to evolve. If every album was the same, you might as well be Mariah Carey or someone. If you REALLY think about it, all 3 of Tori's last albums were completely different from each other. So what's the big deal with this one? I not only desire change from my favorite artists --- I EXPECT it. How else are they ever going to evolve? How else are they ever going to grow? And after three years of just her and her piano (which, I admit, I will miss), I don't blame Tori whatsoever for wanting a change ---- now it's time to ROCK. And who can blame her?
"From the Choirgirl Hotel" is her most ambitious, courageous album to date. She really has courage to pull this off, considering the hardcore devotion of her fan base. And her bravery is one of the fantastic things that make Tori who she is.
The sound is great, the music is wonderful, the album kicks ass, and she still has the fabulously cryptic lyrics she's so well-known for.
So, come on, folks. What's the problem here?
This album is FANTASTIC.
May 7, 1998 - Well I've been a Tori Finatic for 3 years but I've also been many fanatics for over that. I have 250 C.D's and love them all. Choirgirl is going down in my 21 C.D collection of Tori C.Ds under the classic label. There are so many Artists I can relate this to, Bjork, Jewel, NIN, Paula Cole, Garbage, prodigy ect. But one thing they dont have in common is instead of bashfully touching the music like these artists, Tori Jumps right in. There is something for everyone on this album.
1) Spark a rather good song but I fear that the mic distortion will turn people off. A catch corus, GREAT video, and a very ordinary yet extrodinary structure. This song really picks up towards the middle.
2)Cruel This song has a rather haunting nature. Nice bass, and a very nice texture throughout. A very experemental song. This song is one you can listen too many times and pick up on different things throughout. I like this song, but don't love it.
3) Black- Dove(January) I this songs unexpected loops. A very powerful song expecially when it starts to pick up towards the end.
4) Rasberry Swirl I love this song! Its something that gives this C.D a spice flavor and makes each song a new adventure. A GREAT party song, this song is pure fun.
5) Jackies Strength The highlight of this album. I know I'm going to be listening to this one this summer on the radio. This song moves from beautiful, to breathtaking, to the most powerful thing you've ever heard from our godess.
6)iieee I like this song not for the song but because it simply has a original feel to it. another haunting one, I like listening to this one when I take a shower. A cool latin feel very tribal almost like the new Dave Mathews sound. But more free.
7)Liquid Diamonds This one is not my favorite cause it never seems to get anywhere. Though the lyrics and piano are wonderful the song never seems to peak. Its a very good song to just turn on when your on the phone cause there is no distractions and its quite nice when your not paying full attention to it.
8)She's Your Cocain I really love this song. I think this is a song tori has been trying to attempt for years but just now has learned how to rock it. Its not metal its just very rhythmic and one bitchin slap in the face. I can really groove to this one.
9) Norther Lad Another Highlight expecially if your a big Hey Jupiter fan like I. Her voice here going to the same range just with more power and stability. Makes you want to stand up and applaud.
10) Hotel WOW this to me is the track that really gave the album its undeffinability that makes it so cool. Its almost like Trent came in and helped her out. Her voice sounds like an electronic opra which is unbelievable. This song really takes you be suprised.
11)Playboy Mommy If you don't hear Jackies strength played in the ground then you'll deffinantly hear this one. Great Lyrics and bass and piano and rythym. Everything blends so beautifully. Even if the whole album bombed it would be worth buying just to hear this song. Its so personal and sad but the great thing about it is its groove. Truely uniqe.
12) Pandoras Aquarium This was the song I was most looking forward too on this album for the great title and poetry. Well I'll be honest the song starts out horrible but as it progresses it gets stronger. And then results in a nice little melody. I think she sould have swapped this one for cooling but thats just my opinion.
Well Overall a wonderful album and will deffinantly sell millions of copies. I can't wait so see what results out of this beautiful masterpiece.
May 7, 1998 - On the whole, I think it's a good album - sound songwriting and amazing vocals, and incredible lyrics. But it's good in a different sense from what Tori has done before, which in turn makes it a bit disappointing...the girl and her piano have all but disappeared. It's the kind of record that you can headbang to, but the piano's in the background and it's a lot more commercial.
Spark - The song I'm sure pretty much everyone has heard...metallic, hard-edged vocals over scratchy synthesizer, with an emphasized piano-driven bridge. The chorus is really catchy, and the lyrics are sometimes obscure and sometimes startlingly direct.
Cruel - My favorite song on the album...dark, tribal drums and a chainsaw-like sound make up the rhythm, with breathy vocals and echoing chorus. Has some Portishead-esque scratching towards the end, along with wailing and panting into the mike. Lyrics are very dark, in a subdued-viciousness kind of way.
Black-Dove (January) - I love the piano Tori plays in this song, it sounds almost like the upright in Bells For Her. The instrumental solos are fantastic. IMO, though, it would be much better if she'd toned down the super-loud chorus, which is kind of jolting.
Raspberry Swirl - This one is good, she manages to construct an ear-pleasing dance beat and melody while keeping the feel of the song somewhat dark rather than superficial. Ultra-sexy breathing into the mike ends the song.
Jackie's Strength - Beautiful, the girl and her piano persona comes through for this one. Soaring vocals and appropriate string arrangement make the song a real tearjerker.
iieee - Deep, resonating drums and keyboard, with a wail that resembles the sound "iieee" in the background. The chorus is amazing, drums meshing withTori's passionate question, "why does there gotta be a sacrifice?"
Liquid Diamonds - I didn't like this one at first, but after a few listens I started to love the intense, low chorus and the way Tori sustains the word "liquid". Percussion can be a bit loud at times, though.
She's Your Cocaine - I love this one! When Tori said it was "Amish funk" she wasn't lying. She angrily squawks out the vocals until the bridge, where the piano really comes out and she slows down the tempo. The guitar riffs are really catchy.
Northern Lad - Nice, evenly paced ballad. Piano is brought to the forefront throughout this song, and the vocals are very beautiful.
Hotel - Ugh, I hate this song. The constant tempo changes are terrible, Tori's vocals sound very shrieky, and the song seems to drag and drag and drag.
Playboy Mommy - A very sad song, wonderfully sung and written. The slide guitar truly fits the feel of the song, meshing perfectly with the piano and soft drums. Could almost appeal to country music fans...;)
Pandora's Aquarium - The beginning of this song is really weird and very un-Tori, kind of directionless, then the rhythm comes in and it becomes listenable again. Sort of bluesy, in a way...a good song to end the record with.
May 6, 1998 - I wanted to add my 2 cents on the new album. It seems like the Toriphile reviews are pretty mixed -- to loving it, liking some songs and not others, to being disappointed. I'm afraid I am having a hard time with the new cd, which upsets me because I very much wanted to love it. This album leads me to the realization that Tori's music has simply headed down a completely different channel that I can no longer get into. In her own process of growth, I'm afraid she is leaving me behind. (I never even came to embrace Boys for Pele the way I did her first two albums, which I loved.) The Choirgirl Hotel is so very different from anything else she has done and I really doubt I will even buy it. I'm deeply disappointed because I love Tori, I love reading about her views on things and her deep and mystical spirituality. She has been an inspiration to me. I do like some songs on the cd (the ballads such as Black Dove and Jackie's Strength) but it's not enough to entice me to shell out $14.00.
I miss Tori and her piano, I miss the intimate ballad types of songs. I still think she is immensely talented, but the style of the new cd has really let me down.
I'm sorry to say all of this, but that's just how I feel. It's difficult to admit to myself that I need to find someone else's music to worship. I feel sad.
Does anyone else feel this way?
May 6, 1998 - I would like to say that the entire album is exellent. I haven't taken the CD out of my player in the car since Monday. Everywhere I go I have been listening to it from beginng to end. My favorite song on the album has to be a tie between Raspberry Swirl and She your Cocaine. Also I think that Hotel has the best ending. Over all the album itself kicks ass!
May 6, 1998 - Very, very different album. She is moving on. The trilogy is definatley over. Bye, bye Cindy, bye, bye everything usaul. She needed to grow as an artisit and taking such risks is dangerous and tough, but if it isn't dangerous, whats the point? She had the strength to change. I'm sure she could pop out another 12 piano songs, but she shaped these songs and made them an intity of there own. Somebody has to keep music progressing. Would we really want another Little Earthquakes? I wouldn't, I already have that one. I think she made a good choice. Props to Tori. It took me a year to realize the story of Pele so I can't give an idea to this album yet. Maybe in a year.
May 6, 1998 - This album, if listened to, individually, sounds just like everything else, not any bit "different" to me.. but all put on the album, it does a bit, but not too much...
Spark- Heard it allready quite a few times before the album was out, the vocals are kinda like bells for her...
Cruel- trippyass backround... weird kinda like how happy worker was weird with the drumming.... the vocals are kinda "Little Earthquakes"ish (the song that is...)
Black-Dove- Piano here - Bells for her all the way... title "Black Swan"? hmm? love it.... I sang along the 3rd time I heard it, a rarity for me... then like waitress, it switches to her singing "On the other side of the galaxy"
Rasberry Swirl- This songs rad too, kickass sounding... reminds me of her cover of "Ring my bell"
Jackie's Strength- Pretty good year-ish vocals.. and strings just like a few of her other songs.. love this one too...
iiee- Bjorkish it seems.... this is one of my faves on the albums... the backround vocals kinda remind me of "the pool" if they were "unlayered?"
Liquid Diamonds- opening sounds like one of her songs off YKTR... those vocals, ohmygawd.. beautiful, there is a song from the 80's that sounds like this, sung by a guy tho, can't remember the name.... then it goes into her low voice thing, that reminds me of fiona.. but 20X's as intense....
She Your Cocaine- Cute tempo.. reminds me again of her "Ring my bell" cover...
Northen Land- The opening note HAS to be the same as her cover of "angie" and the vocals remind me of "A case of you".... then "don't say that you don't" reminds me of twinkle from BFP...
Hotel- YKTR's "Floating City" all the way!!! I love that song, so this ones awesome too....
Playboy Mommy- Am I the first to say this sounds a bit like Fiona Apples "shadow boxer"? Sounds a bit reministent of LE.... crucifyish
Pandora's Box- Opening piano, "Ode to the Banana King" hmm...? Again, like Liquid, it reminds me of that song from the 80's....
Anyways.. thats just my take and comparisons... to her older stuff.. just saying its not all new sounding... just look a bit closer. ;) The lyrics sound more like UtP and LE rather than BfP's more obscure refrences...
May 6, 1998 - Here's my review of From The Choirgirl Hotel for your Choirgirl Pages...
SPARK -- Ok, this is a song we're all familiar with by now. I absolutely love it. From the electric, moody intro to the opening verse -- it's incredible. "She's addicted to nicotine patches" has become a humorous little mantra for me! I love the lyrics to the song and how the chorus sounds like a lilting 70s rock ballad. The breakdown in the middle of the song somehow reminds me of the breakdown in "Tear In Your Hand" even though that might not be the best comparison.
CRUEL -- My first listen to this song made me think it was okay, but a second listen has me in love with it. I love the psychadelic swirling noises all the beginning of the track as well as all of the interesting beats and percussion. She sounds very moody as she sings (kind of like the "big, fat cigar" line in "Leather"). It's a great track!
BLACK-DOVE (JANUARY) -- I like the somber, muffled piano at the beginning -- it makes me think of "Bells For Her." I've heard a couple live recordings of this so my listening evolution for this track is a bit ahead of the others but what can I say? -- I love it. I love the breakdown where she sings passionately "But I have to get to Texas" (it shows Tori's will to live and it kind of reminds me of "I haven't seen Barbados so I must get out of this").
RASPBERRY SWIRL -- A definite club-inspired number that calls to mind "Blue Skies" and the dance remixes of "Professional Widow." You can hear the Bosey in the background, but it's the beats that keep this song alive.
JACKIE'S STRENGTH -- A really beautiful piano-and-orchestra ballad that has the most in common with Tori's earlier work yet with another dimension. The vocals are far less pronounced than much of Tori's recordings. The orchestra calls to mind "Marianne" and this is one of those songs that you just have to love!
IIEEE -- This one I really adore! It's got such an intoxicating rhythm and the chants of "iieee" in the background are mesmerizing! :) I love how whenever she sings "With your E's and your ease and I'll do one more" the music comes to a complete stop and then works around her. She gets very passionate with her vocals in this track and I love how at the "little arsonist" part, a series of brutal, raging electric guitars kick in that add a metallic flavor to this already-kickin' track!
LIQUID DIAMONDS -- If there's one song on this album that I haven't truly come to appreciate -- this is the one! The fade-in beginning really reminds me of Bjork's live recording of "There's More To Life Than This" from her album DEBUT. The opening hooks are strange synths and groovy kick-back music. The music is lilting and free-floating.
SHE'S YOUR COCAINE -- I love this song! Tori's sultry vocals might remind you of Y Kant Tori Read when you hear this! As far as HOW she sings, it definitely reminds me of David Bowie and Mick Jagger. There's this cool, uncompromising attitude to this track. I love the lyrics! :)
NORTHERN LAD -- A beautiful, somber piano ballad. Somehow I can see Tori playing this in her early years playing in DC piano bars. I love when she goes off the hook and sings "But I feel something's wrong" and my favorite part is the catchy refrain "If only you could see me now."
HOTEL -- This one may take a few listens to fall in love with. The opening synths are mesmerizing and the delicious refrain of "Met 'em in a hotel / Met 'em in a hotel" puts a smile on my face. Then, suddenly the song bursts into energetic techno. By the end, it winds down to just Tori and her piano and then finally just some swanky chords on the organ.
PLAYBOY MOMMY -- This is undoubtedly one of my favorite Tori songs ever. It's so moving! The instrument at the beginning (some kind of horn) sounds like a ghost crying! It's so sad and it immediately makes me depressed. "I'll say it loud here by your grave / Those angels can't ever take my place" Tori sings sadly to the lost spirit. The most moving part is when she sings "Gloria" and "Hosanah" with breathy background vocals that make me think of a choir of angels singing!
PANDORA'S AQUARIUM -- A very sultry, jazzy number that makes me think of downtown blues bars. The opening bangings on the piano call to mind Tori's intros on the Dew Drop Inn tour just before playing "Beauty Queen" and "Horses." The music has a seductive little sway to it that calls to mind fragments of "Samurai," "Sister Named Desire" and even the hilarious "Til The Chicken."
May 6, 1998 - Finally, the album is here, and you can be sure that I was at the record as soon as possible. I was so excited, and the the photographs throughout the lyric book are so cool. Well, on to my review of this album.
Spark - I think that this is a great track. I am glad that this is her first single. The lyrics are very, very moving. As with all of her songs, Tori is being extremely frank with very personal experiences. This song seems like a big catharsis for her, and I love it.
Cruel - This was an instant hit with me. The marimba and the very subdued lyrics make this a great song to listen to. This could almost be my favorite song to listen to just because of the vocal curves that she throws..."cock-cock-cock you mane." and "sh-sh-sh-shock me sane." Great song. What else can I say?
Black Dove(January) - This one took a few listens to finally get through to me. The song introduction is very haunting. The song seems a little disjointed, but it reveals its full splendor when she breaks into "the other side of the galaxy." The power in this song is quite amazing.
Raspberry Swirl - From all the buzz about this song, I thought that Tori was going to be having an orgasm during the song. This is not the case at all. This is a good song. It is a definite departure from what we have come to expect from Tori, but that is what get for trying to predict anything that comes from her creative genius. I think that it is about a woman taking matters into her own hands and doing a man's job. Cool song.
Jackie's Strength - There really is not much to say about this track. It speaks for itself in its beauty. It says a lot, and there is really nothing that I can add. Beautiful. Powerful. Moving.
iieee - This one is going to take a while. I remember that Not the Red Baron took me about 7 months to finally appreciate. Some of Tori's songs take a while to reveal their beauty, and I think that this is one of them. My gift to this song is patience and understanding.
Liquid Diamonds - Tori's voice throughout this song is incredible. The lyrics are very powerful as well. This is a strong song. The synthetic elements and the echoes give it a really spacy feel. I like it for its unique feel. I am glad that it is long because it has a lot to offer.
She's Your Cocaine - I like the lyrics, but the song is hard for me to enjoy so far. I will give it time.
Northern Lad - Great song. It is the closest thing to a love song. Of course is about lost love, but love nonetheless. This song has a great feeling. It has my favorite lyric of the entire album. "He moved like the sunset/God, who painted that-" This is my third favorite song on the album. Another perfect example of great Tori emotion.
Hotel - I read many of the reviews of this album, and most were not very complimentary regarding this track. Hotel appealed to me almost instantly. It has the feeling of Space Dog with all the tempo changes and weird angst. This is my second favorite song on the album. There is a degree of jest and seriousness to this song, and it seems to be an odd juxtaposition. I think I like this song because it is a contradiction.
Playboy Mommy - Favorite song. This is a very, very moving, sad song. It says so much in its three minutes of playing time. Its seems like the salve that she may have used on her own wounds. Powerful. Nothing more to say.
Pandora's Aquarium - This is a cool song, and we get to hear a bit of the that piano that she plays so well. It is a good ending to the album. It ties everything up into a perfect, raggedy, pink bow that makes it a Tori album.
I have read a lot of people who seem turned off by the "new" Tori. I think that this album is definitely a departure from her previous three albums, but each of those are very distinct as well. This is just the next step in the progression of her artistry, and I am very happy to follow her. This album does not disappoint, but you have to be open to new things. Personally, I love it. It has a completely unique and different feel just as all of her previous albums have. Each one exudes real emotion which we can all relate to, and that is what makes her so special. Bravo Tori.
May 6, 1998 - I've had this album for quite some time now... I've listened to it I think...sheesh, a million times? I had it in relatively early-mid april... here is my review...
1. Spark
Spark is a very stirring song... after a million times of hearing it though (it's being killed on the radio down here), it's like "ooookayyy...." so I'll talk symbolically... she's talking about the baby... being afraid of a light in the dark, not wanting to come out to the world... I could be wrong, but this makes me think of my own birth... he addiction to niccotine patches part makes me think perhaps addiction runs in the family... and there could be two meanings for 6:58 are you sure where my spark is... she could be asking for a lighter... or she could be looking for her spark - the personality, the perkiness, etc she always has...and the baby is telling her 'it's right here, can't you see that!?"...that's what I see the song as...
2. Cruel
Please guys, no more comparisons to Fiona Apple...Tori is not whining and having a pouty lip fest... personally, if you ask me... I think this song is to a friend of hers who recently got married... I think this song ... could be devoted to Rantz... he wasn't thanked in this album (I don't think)...and he just got married and he's been... seemingly lost about on the internet for quite some time... he was her best friend as many of you know... er...he says best friend... I think this song could be like "okay...so now you've got a wife... you're showing her around to everyone we knew..." and she got angry, perhaps jealous at the time... of wanting to be a wife, etc... so she got cruel... this is what I see, this is hypothesy here...
3. Black-Dove (January)
You can kill me if you like, but this song is perhaps... the least grounded of all the songs on this album... I feel no ground beneath the feet of this dove... because it's in flight? perhaps... The beginning sounds like Bells For Her with... an enhanced sound... I'll play with my keyboard and see what I can do... ummm.... her vocals in this song, to me... were very weak on the "but I have to get to Texas" part... I feel it sounds like there is more enhancement of her voice than there is actual loud singing on that part... when she sings "on the other side of the galaxy", she does a wonderful job... but during the rest she sounds so unsure... perhaps like she was writing this as she went along... like some other songs she's done...
4. Raspberry Swirl
This actually isn't that big a change from her old stuff if you think about what you're getting... it's just painted with a new sonic palette... I think this is her view of saying "I can be more of a man than you and more of a woman than you can get"... it sounds almost playful in this manner... it also has another double meaning... raspberry swirl as the cheesecake or raspberry swirl as the... female genitalea in a state of orgasssshhhmmm... evil word, no?;) ... the beat pumps very sexually... the vocals layer into ... kinda like a raspberry swirl cheesecake... the beats are heavy and thick... her voice in the background is wispy, thin... beautiful in a sexy way, weaving through the tunnels in the cheesecake...
5. Jackie's Strength
This song is gorgeous... it truly reminds me of reliving out the event of the assasination... kinda like the mother's reaction and the child's growing up having wanted to be like Jackie... only to see her life fall apart, but she stayed strong... love really is black magic
6. i i e e e
This song uses a disjointed feel to come to a realization... it has the layered vocals bass, etc saying "iieee, iieee" and she's pronouncing it properly, etc... I forgot what that word means, but it is a call that has a meaning... it sounds like... back when she was recording Pele...screaming in a cathedral... she wanted things to be beautiful, but it's not how she felt and not how things came out... like they didn't come out how she wants them to... also, this look a lot like the falling out of her and Eric Rosse...
7. Liquid Diamonds
Liquid Diamonds sounds like it's under a sheet of ice... with chunks of ice floating by... liquid diamonds... either that or it reminds me of becoming a hard person through experience... making choices...bends in the roads, getting forgiven, etc... not getting hard on the outside, but getting hard on the inside...learning not to take things personally, letting your blood turn into a liquid form of the hardest substance known to man...diamonds...
8. She's Your Cocaine
I think this is blatantly the way she feels about the man that is obsessed with her... aside from the control, controlling, the way she makes you crawl part... I think she let out some old rock influence...As someone else said...LED ZEPPELIN all the way...
9. Northern lad
This song makes me think of how she had a boyfriend... and wanted to stay friend...perhaps take another shot at it with him, but he's gone... and she realized, she was only getting wet because of the rain - being left outside and not having the warmth of companionship... Can we say Eric?
10. Hotel
Perhaps this is the song about that hotel she so intensely disliked... This also sounds like it could be about someone she met and misses... wants to get some more of... the end makes me think of leaving the hotel on the highway...
11. Playboy Mommy
We all know about this song and what it's about, I should shut up about it... this is Tori's coping...
12. Pandora's Aquarium
This song... she lives in a river or an aquarium... letting all the bad things out and wondering how she got there... 'line me up in single file with all your grievances'... perhaps Tori is saying "I can be bad... why don't you just put me in line like all your other problems?"... the way she sings Pandora is almost mocking... I can see her shaking her head and talking to Pandora...or looking at Pandora's Box... I seriously think...the aquarium was Pandora's Box... she could see what she was opening...
I, personally, love every song on this album... and see it as some of her most incredible work to date...
May 6, 1998 - I have had the chance to listen to the new CD about 4 times (3 times for some songs). As someone who has kinda seen Tori go from what she was in '92 to what she is in '98, I have come to the conclusion that the older fans will have the biggest problem adjusting to this CD. In a way, I know this may sound silly, I feel that I bought a CD-5 with "Spark", "Black Dove", "Jackie's Strength", "Northern Lad", and "Playboy Mommy". The rest just seem to be there as rafters holding the jewels in place. Although I know for a fact that "Cruel", "iiiee", "She's Your Cocaine", "Liquid Diamonds" and "Pandora's Aquarium" will grow on me, Tori has completely turned me upside down (no pun) with "Raspberry Swirl" and "Hotel".... I see the merit these girls WOULD have had if they had been left alone.... no techno... no distortion...
I understand that Tori must move on muscially, but on the other hand it's like biting the hand that feeds you. I feel she had a good thing going, the girl and the piano thing. I'm probably doing the same thing MANY of you are doing: forcing myself to like it. Because it's Tori. LETTING it grow on me, knowing good and well if "Raspberry Swirl" or "Hotel" came from someone else, they would simply be skipped tracks on a CD.
We've lost something. We've gained something. I'm still trying to even things out. =o)
May 6, 1998 - as per request: I have listened to the album several times, and now offer these humble comments:
Spark: still hard to get out of my head, but there is a lot more to listen on this album, so it hasn't been a case of not playing anything else (like it can be with some new albums (not Tori's, of course.))
Cruel: It's groovy, the beginning is a great intro to the album, as Spark almost acts as a cameo (since you've most likely heard it before you buy the album.) They were playing this in the store as I walked in to purchase the album. I must say, it made for great shopping atmosphere. Probably the best song on the album for that.
Black Dove (January): The weakest song on the album, in my opinion. The lyrics are Toricliche... the piece works, musically, but not overly impressed. It was much much better live, but I know this will grow on me, they all do.
Raspberry Swirl: different. I like what she's doing, I think we'll se more along these lines in the future.
Jackie's Strength: mmmm. love it, and everyone knows why... pentultimate Tori.
iieee: yeah, I can dig it... not really too much of a departure from her usual commentary on religion. Ready for someone to clue me in on the "E" thing.
Liquid Diamonds: Very interesting. She's reaching in on this one, trying to get back to defining woman for women. Good piece.
She's Your Cocaine: The highlight for me. Not the best song, but good damn it rocks! I can not sit still when this song comes on. Blew me away live (of course.)
Northern Lad: My favorite. Very moving. I can't even really talk about it... I love "god who painted that"
Hotel: um. I guess I kind of expected it. It's not bad, but she has a way to go to pull this techno (NINish) stuff off. The "give me more" is beautiful. Don't get me wrong, I do jam this song, but I'm postitive she'll improve on the next album.
Playboy Mommy: This one has been a slow grower on me... I think because it was hitting so close to home. I guess that explains it all. Chilling.
Pandora's Aquarium: I don't have a lot to say on this one at the moment, it hasn't totally left an impression... I do like it, but I'm not sure how much... it belongs on the end of the album more than any other song, though.
May 6, 1998 -Track by track review of Tori Amos: From the Choirgirl Hotel.
From the Choirgirl Hotel, Myra Ellen Amos fourth album (not counting Y Kant Tori Read) is a beautiful sometimes stunning album with one big doubtful point..... Although personally I like the album very much, some of the tracks might be a bit hard to swallow for the avid Tori Phile.
1. Spark.
A very nice song, which starts of very subtle, gets a bit rougher in
the middle and ends very subtle again. Unlike previous Tori songs it
sounds much more like a band thing. The break from the "easy" part to
the more up-tempo bit has a very betalesque feel about it.
The lyrics are with out a doubt about Tori herself,(especially about
her miscarriage) and are far less ambiguous than on the Boys for Pele
album.
Over All: 8
2. Cruel
Cruel is a very good example of the "new" Tori sound. A lot of
distortion, lots of synthesizers and a hunting drum beat. There are
even hints of "Trip Hop" here but don't be afraid it doesn't sound
anything like for example Portishead.
The lyrics are full of brilliant one-liners, and again the lyrics are
much clearer in meaning than on previous Tori Albums.
Over All: 8
3. Black Dove
This track returns us to the more familiar Tori sound. A simple
piano, ambiguous lyrics which leave you guessing to the meaning.
Over All: 7,5
4. Raspberry Swirl
Strap to your seats, be ready for a big departure here. No need for a
DJ like Arman van Helden here. This is a straight out dance track.
But, Tori doesn't restrict herself to one dancestyle, there are hints
of techno, bigbeat and straightforward popmusic. I wouldn't be
surprised if this would end up as single as well. Personally this is
one of my favourites.
Over All: 9 (for avid more mondaine Tori philes, this could be the
least favourite track though)
5. Jackie's Strength
And we are again back in the more normal Tori Amos territory. This is
a very nice ode to Jackie Kennedy. Musically, it sounds like it could
have been on Little Earthquakes. One thing which began to strike me
on the album, is again the fact that Toris lyrics have become much
easier to interpret.
Over All: 9
6. Iieee
Weird songtitle eh ? Well the song it self isn't that weird, but not
one of my favourites. Not that there is anything wrong with it, in my
opinion it's quite simply not a very interesting, and dare I say a
bit boring.
Over All: 6,5
7. Liquid Diamonds
This song is a trip to the new Tori grounds again. Starting with a
fade in, some drum-rhythms, it soon is followed by a piano. It runs
very calmly, it lacks a basic strong structure, but that isn't
necesarrily a bad thing. The only thing bad which I can say about
this track that it is a bit long.
Over All: 7,5
8. She's your Cocaine:
Your trip to the new Tori continues. Take a spoon of the Beatles'
"Come together" and "Helter Skelter" and put in Tori and wham a very
up-tempo almost rocklike song, with a very Torisque break in the
middle. One of the reasons I compared this song with "Helter
Skelter" is that like Ringo shouted "I've Got blisters on my
fingers!" on that song, Tori can be heard saying "Cut it again!" at
the end.
Over All: 9
9. Northern Lad
And we arrive with the more well known Tori Amos. Bosie, Tori,
brilliant lyrics, a great song. But you can forget about hearing only
the piano, a band is now completely integrated with Tori Amos her
work.
Over All: 9
10. Hotel
Weird little number, this is. Did I mention trip hop influences yet ?
This song is full of it. This is without a doubt the weirdest song on
the album. Hectic Tori becomes calm Tori and turns back to hectic
Tori again. The end of the song reminds me of Mr. Zebra on boys
for Pele..., just to show you the weird structure of this track.
My guess is she could well use this song to kick off her "Plugged"
shows.
A great song in my opinion, but definitively not to everyones taste.
Over All: 8
11. Playboy Mummy
Can you guess what this song is about? Well yes is about Toris
miscarriage. It is a very personal song. The structure of the song is
very basic and simple, which makes it all the more effective. It is
not a sad song though, but then again it's not happy song either. It
has a sort of melancholy about, it which is great.
Like on other songs this sounds more like a band song, than a pure
solo piece.
Over All: 9
12. Pandora's Aquarium
The album ends with an almost oldfashioned Tori song. At the start
just Tori with her Bosi.. it slowly turns into a band song again.
This song can be seen as a sort of mixture between the old and the
new Tori.
Over All: 8
Over All impression:
A great album, but like I said, some of the tracks might not be to
everyones taste. Two things truly struck me about this album.
Firstly, Toris lyrics have become much clearer to understand and
secondly Tori has produced a more of a bandlike album.
Over All: 8.5
(one of the best albums of 1998, but would you except otherwise from a Tori-Phile :-))
(ratings on a scale from 1-10)
May 6, 1998 - A very strong effort. Probably Tori's best album and certainly, as with all her albums, gets better with repeated listenings. There is so for one's ears to chew on.
"Playboy Mommy" - I came away from the D.C. concert very impressed by this song and it is the best song on the CD. I read one review on this page stating that Tori could have put more effort into this song. Wrong. It's simplicity is very much part of it's beauty. And I don't easily throw out compliments to songs with a pedal steel. This is not only a classic Tori Amos song, but a classic song, period.
"Raspberry Swirl" - I'm surprised I enjoy a song like this so much. Could be a hit in the clubs (says a guy who can't dance.)
"She's Your Cocaine" - Very fun. Rocks even more in concert. Reminds me a bit of Led Zeppelin "Trampled Under Foot"
As for the rest of the CD, there is one song I am not sure I like but I did like it better on the 3rd listen than I did on the first. And all but that one (why name names?) are quite enjoyable but I must listen many more times to render further judgement. It shall be a pleasure to get to know thes girls.
May 6, 1998 - I just thought I'd send you and other Toriphiles my thoughts on "From the Choirgirl Hotel", going in order of track listing. I think that the song "spark" is pretty good, although a bit mediocre. I feel the same way about it that I did about "Caught a Lite Sneeze." Its just allright, ya know? I really like "Cruel", especially the funny vocals she does at the begining where she sounds French and then Cuban or something. I think the song is very sexy and groovy. One of my other favorites is "Black Dove(January)." I think its a very beautiful, powerful song especially when the band comes in at "On the other side of the galaxy..." I don't mind Rasberry Swirl, although some other Toriphiles seem to think its crap. I like the lines "Things are getting desperate...when boys can't be men" It definately has a dancier feel but I love it! I don't care much for "Jackie's Strenth", though. I think its boring and dull. Its does'nt move me at all. I don't like "iieee" either. I think the song is a mess; its all over the place. Its all rythym and no substance. "Liquid Diamonds" might be my favorite. Its a sweeping ballad with a beautiful melody and lots of emotion. "She's your cocaine" is horrible! Probably the worst some Tori has ever done. Its really lame, especially when she says "Cut it again" at the end. its like she's trying to rip off dumb band. I try to ignore this song as much as possible! Northern Lad is a bit disappointing. I like the lyrics, but the music falls short. Its bland. "hotel" is really groovy and has a futuritic sound. I especially like the chorus "you were wild-where are you now?" There lots of bridges in this song, like in "Little Earthquakes" but Tori is able to hold it all together, and it works. "Playboy mommy" is a bit dull, as well, like some of the other ballads on this album. It just doesn't do anything for me. "Pandora's Aquarium" is kind of wierd, but I like it. She does cool effects with her voice so that she sounds like she's underwater. She almost sounds like a dolphin, if that makes any sense!
Well, overall, I think the new album is decent. There's some real crap songs, but the really good ones make up for it. I think whenever a new Tori album comes out, I expect it be like "LE" or "UtP" and its just not gonna happen. I miss the insights and memorable lines on those albums as well as the raw emotion and honesty of her "diary" format. But change is good as well, and I don't mind the dancier grooves of her new stuff. I think the album will grow on me!
May 6, 1998 - i wanted to say a few things about her new album. i was at a local record store on monday nite just ready to snatch the album up. and i have to say it is just amazing. the album takes you on a journey, b/c each song is so different from the others but they all hang out together so well. i am just so happy that tori has been able to grow as an artist, some people in line i talked to were upset that its not the same tori, but they are so mistaken. she is such a different person now since her last album and you can see that change on this album. i've been waiting for the time when she would work w/ a band and she has and hasn't disappointed me. her style has evolved over each album and i definitely like the way in which she is growing, so many artists try and stick to what has worked in the past, but tori won't do that and i am so grateful that she continues to press the envelope. i can't say what my favorite song on the album is b/c they seem to go in groups or pairs. but if i had to pick a few they would be "black dove"- b/c that song is just amazing live, and it continuely builds and softens. "northern lad"- b/c it retains the style of tori past and integrates it w/her new venture w/ the band. "she's your cocaine"- that song just rocks.
May 6, 1998 - i really like the album, i think an era is over, and my dear toriphile friend Emily pointed out that she had mentioned molasses twice, in Northern Lad saying "I thought we'd be ok me and my molasses, but i feel something is wrong, but i feel the cake isn't gone." and in Liquid Diamonds she says, "I hear she grants forgiveness, although i willingly forgot her, the offering is molasses, and you say i guess i'm an underwater thing." We think that the era of honey is over, and it feels like molasses is the replacement, and it could be a good thing.
My favorite songs are Jackie's Strength, and She's your cocaine, they are brand new Tori classics!
I really like the album, even though Boys for Pele was my favorite, but this one is still really great, and individual.
May 6, 1998 - I do not know what to say. I'm in awe. I love "from the choirgirl hotel" so much. It's just incredible. Of course it's in a different league from the previous three record. But you can tell Tori had a blast making this record, you really can. Here are my opinions on the songs. I love every song on here especially "Cruel," "Black Dove," "Jackie's Strength," "iieee," "Playboy Mommy," and "Northern Lad." The rest are all excellent as well, although I do not care for "Liquid Diamonds" as much as I hoped I would. The artwork is really nice too, although I must admit that I miss Cindy's work. I also noticed that Tori's "Thank You's" weren't as intimate as they previously were and I wonder why. Although it's not important, it's just something that sticks to the brain. Heh, anyway, this is a great record and I'm happy with this whole "band based" Tori. I can't wait to see her on the Plugged tour.
May 6, 1998 - I just got the cd today, and WOW- is it ever different - and excellent!
I know some die-hard fans will be taken back by the Sonic Tori, and judging from some other reviews, I know others will not instantly like "from the choirgirl hotel". But I liked it instantly, so if you'll indulge me, I'll tell you why.
I love Spark; both the lyrics and the sound & rhythm of it. This song has personal meaning for me, so I particularly like it. I like the lyrics to Playboy Mommy; it sounds wistful and twangy - I love the guitar work. Black-Dove (January) sounds lush but strong; again the lyrics really appeal to me (I had a miscarriage last September, so all the references to losing the baby really choke me up)
Rasberry Swirl; I kinda like it. It gives me really good reason to dance to Tori! I love She's Your Cocaine, too - these two songs are really a "trip"! OK, so maybe Rasberry Swirrel sounds a teensy-weensy bit Y Kant Tori Read - but I like Tori when she goes "Pop" every now and then!
I like the sound of Liquid Diamonds and Pandora's Aquarium; both have kind of a smoky, cabaret feel. Someone mentioned a comparison to Roxy Music, but I think it reminds me of Tom Waits (without the Camels Unfiltered-ravaged voice) Liquid Diamond, Pandora's Aquarium and Playboy Mama are songs I'd like to hear live and in the moment...
I like Northern Lad and Jackie's Strength - very lush, very Tori; not a departure from her earlier music. I'd like to mention that even with her sonic departure and experiments, I still think its very Tori, and a Toriphile familiar with her music and style will quickly note this. The songs are strong and very layered as far as instrumention, but Tori still stands out. I think her musicians accompany her very, very well. I certainly can understand the need to be creative and experimental after loosing something precious - all I can say is I simply love Tori and love from the choirgirl hotel, and I thank her from the bottom of my still grieving heart for making this cd, which makes me dance and cry all in one listening!
May 6, 1998 - the album is totally weird, but cool. sounds very much like YKTR, but a little more modernized
my fave songs are cruel, iieee and liquid diamonds some songs that could've been spared are She's Your Cocaine and Rasberry Swirl(totally for dorky top 40 freaks) She's Your Cocaine is very hard rock, not at all like Tori, more commercial Northern Lad is a cool song, sounds very much like old Tori, with a twist
I can't believe Boys For Pele is out and now we have something new to listen to. I was really likeing the harpsichord, too bad it took a vacation for this album
overall the new album is good, very much like Madonna's new stuff meets old Tori meets NIN meets YKTR
the stuff to really get your hands on and ears are the b-sides they are totally amazing
Do It Again is the best, very heavy beat
Purple People is pretty good, sounds very 40's/50's would have fit on the "Swinger's" soundtrack
Bachlorette is great gets in your head
May 6, 1998 - Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Unbelievable. (In the words of Kate Bush.)
I was more prepared for this than for BFP, having heard Spark on the net and radio, as well as other tracks on the JAMtv netcast last week. Nonetheless, there is no way that you can capture the dynamic range of this material unless you have the CD (or actually hear it performed live, of course! You lucky devil.) I must say that I wasn't entirely sure about "Spark" when I'd heard it before, but it is really very good. And "Cruel" just BIT MY ASS. "Raspberry Swirl," which I heard last week, actually gave me chills on this listen. Many of the quieter pieces seem to be really good, but I just haven't had time yet to let them infuse into my consciousness. What makes this especially difficult is that I am at the office listening, and I really think that this album needs to be *blasted* at least once to be really heard properly. For instance, I really want to hear "She's Your Cocaine" at high decibel.
Anyhow, that's an early impression. The only potential bad news is, I *don't* hate this album. (Which, as you know, I take as an indication that I will eventually *love* an album.) But I think that's because I was way too prepared for it. I need to be much more off-guard to get that kind of reaction. This may indeed be as good or better than BFP (previously, Tori's best album IMHO), but I cannot make a fair comparison yet. I think I will love this album more and more over time.
May 6, 1998 - well, i got the album today (about an hour ago) along with a promotional lyric book and flat. let me just say... breathtaking. i'm so thrilled that tori is e