Alanis Morissette, ‘Jagged Little Pill,’ 1995
Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill, stands as a seminal work in the landscape of 1990s music. This album marked a significant departure from Morissette’s earlier dance-pop endeavors, showcasing a raw, unfiltered exploration of personal and emotional turmoil. Jagged Little Pill is a deeply personal album that delves into themes of heartbreak, identity, and empowerment. Morissette’s lyrics are unapologetically candid, exploring the complexities of female anger and vulnerability. This thematic focus was groundbreaking at the time, challenging industry norms and paving the way for future generations of female artists. The album’s title, derived from a lyric in the track You Learn, encapsulates the idea of confronting and swallowing life’s harsh realities. Morissette herself explained that the title reflects the notion of enduring difficult experiences and finding lessons within them. In You Oughta Know, Morissette channels her anger and betrayal into a searing indictment of a former lover, and tracks like Hand in My Pocket offer a more introspective take on life’s uncertainties. Morissette’s lyrics are likened to an uncensored diary, chronicling the messy, painful, and unfair experiences of young adulthood. Tracks like Forgiven and Mary Jane use dynamic shifts and metaphoric language to explore themes of religious hypocrisy, jealousy, and mental illness. The album’s lyrical content is both specific and universal, allowing listeners to find their own experiences reflected in Morissette’s words. This universality is a key factor in the album’s enduring appeal, as it speaks to the shared human experience of navigating emotional pain and growth. Musically, Jagged Little Pill is a fusion of alternative rock and post-grunge influences, characterized by its raw, unpolished sound. The album’s instrumentation is relatively simple, relying on basic drum loops, tasteful guitar work, and Morissette’s powerful vocals to convey its message. This minimalist approach allows the emotional weight of the lyrics to take center stage, creating a visceral listening experience that resonates deeply with audiences. The album’s arrangements range from the subdued and tender, as heard in songs like Perfect and Mary Jane, to the intense and aggressive, evident in tracks like Right Through You. Morissette’s use of dynamic shifts within songs mimics the emotional rollercoaster of modern life. Glen Ballard’s production choices, such as utilizing simple drum loops and layering guitar textures, created a sound that stood in stark contrast to the polished productions of the mid-90s. The impact of Jagged Little Pill extended beyond its initial release, opening doors for other female musicians in the alternative rock scene, such as Fiona Apple.
Well, life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
When you think everything’s okay and everything’s going right
And life has a funny way of helping you out
When you think everything’s gone wrong
And everything blows up in your face
Fiona Apple, ‘Tidal,’ 1996
Fiona Apple’s debut album, Tidal, is an exploration of the tumultuous journey from adolescence to adulthood, marked by emotional upheaval and self-discovery. The album’s title itself is a play on the word “title,” suggesting a sense of identity and self-definition. The album’s themes revolve around the complexities of teenage life, including sexual awakening, emotional vulnerability, and the struggle for self-acceptance. One of the most striking aspects of Tidal is its unflinching honesty: Apple does not shy away from addressing her past traumas, including her experience of being raped at the age of 12, which she poignantly describes in the song Sullen Girl. This level of candor was groundbreaking at the time, especially for a young female artist, and it set the stage for a new wave of confessional singer-songwriters. Apple’s songwriting is deeply personal, drawing from her own experiences of trauma, love, and self-empowerment. The opening track, Sleep to Dream, sets the tone for the album with its assertive declaration of independence: “I tell you how I feel, but you don’t care / I say tell me the truth, but you don’t dare.” The album’s most notable track, Criminal, is a smoky jazz-infused confession of guilt and self-loathing. The iconic line, “I’ve been a bad, bad girl,” captures with unapologetic candidness the essence of the song’s exploration of moral ambiguity and the consequences of one’s actions. Shadowboxer offers a narrative about grappling with the complexities of a manipulative relationship. Apple reflects on allowing herself to be played but resolutely decides to reclaim her power: “So I’m a shadowboxer, baby, I want to be ready for what you do.”
Musically, Tidal is a rich tapestry of genres, blending elements of jazz, rock, and classical music. Criminal features a rumbling bass line and piano that create a natural percussive groove, perfectly complementing Apple’s smoky vocals, with a unique eastern-influenced flute melody adding an unexpected twist. The use of piano as a central instrument, often played with percussive force, is a signature of Apple’s sound. Tracks like Sullen Girl are a sweeping piano ballad that creates a feeling of complete isolation. The lack of any other backing instruments initially enhances the sense of loneliness, even as the percussion and strings return later in the song. Additionally, the sound of Tidal is characterized by its dark, rough vibe, which bridges the gap between rock and grunge while incorporating jazz influences. Tracks like Pale September open with a haunting, almost horror-score adjacent chord repetition, creating an eerie and dank atmosphere. The ambient warbling sound that occurs midway through the song adds to its ominous touch, showcasing the meticulous attention to detail in the production process.
Heaven help me for the way I am
Save me from these evil deeds before I get them done
I know tomorrow brings the consequence at hand
But I keep living this day like the next will never comeOh, help me but don’t tell me to deny it
I’ve got to cleanse myself of all these lies ’til I’m good enough for him
I’ve got a lot to lose and I’m bettin’ high so I’m begging you
Before it ends just tell me where to begin
Fishmans, ‘LONG SEASON,’ 1996
Fishmans’ Long Season stands as a monumental work in the annals of Japanese rock music. This album is a unique endeavor in the realm of music, primarily because it consists of a single, continuous composition divided into five parts. The album’s concept originated from the band’s desire to create a single-song album, diverging from their previous track-by-track format. This ambitious idea was spearheaded by Shinji Sato, the band’s frontman, who envisioned a dreamlike suite that would elevate their gentle psych-pop to symphonic proportions. Thematically, LONG SEASON explores the duality of life and the quality of change. The lyrics and music evoke a sense of transience, capturing the liminal space between wakefulness and sleep, memory and reality, longing and solitude. The recurring motif of being “half in a dream” underscores the album’s exploration of life’s ephemeral moments and the bittersweet nature of progress and loss. Musically, “LONG SEASON” is a masterpiece of mood and atmosphere. The album’s composition is heavily based on the musical themes of “Season,” but it expands these ideas into a sprawling, cohesive whole. The instrumentation swirls around the lyrics, creating an ambiance that marries the aural to the lyrical, drawing the listener deeper into its sonic dreamscapes. The album features gentle rhythms and Shinji Sato’s unique whisper-like vocals, which guide the listener through a journey from the heat of summer to a world of tranquility. The composition develops organically, with each part flowing seamlessly into the next, creating a sense of continuity and cohesion that is both comforting and contemplative. One of the most striking aspects of the album’s composition is its ability to maintain the listener’s interest over its 35-minute duration. This is achieved through the use of dramatically different tempos, melodies, and instruments within each section, while still maintaining a unified thematic and stylistic coherence. The production also incorporates various sound effects and ambient noises, such as the droplets of water that open the album, creating a vivid and immersive auditory environment.