missing time

Righteous indignation, take a flamin' hike.

Hopping aboard that great time-machine called nostalgia, I've been in love with the idea of Fiona Apple since 1996. That's 8-going-on-9 years. Her first album, Tidal, was one of those albums you hear in high school that shapes your musical tastes for the better part of your life. I was a freshmen in college by the time When the Pawn... came out. By that time, my musical horizons were expanding to the point that it got buried amidst the rubble of Pedro the Lion, Over the Rhine and Nirvana's Unplugged material.

And yet....for the last two years or so there have been internet rumors of a new Fiona Apple album. Sometimes even tentative release dates. But after doing my regular quarterly search for new news I discovered tonight that her new album, Extraordinary Machine, has been permanently shelved by Sony because they couldn't find a single to kick off a costly marketing and promotion campaign. Instead, Sony cut its losses and is letting the album lie, preferring that Fiona get back to the studio and try to work her magic with happier and heavier radio-friendly thoughts I would imagine.

But in my search tonight, I came across a pair of leaked-slash-stolen mp3s from the album. And I'm in love all over again. Sometime after Punch Drunk Love came out, I realized something about Miss Apple's music -- It feels like a P.T. Anderson film. This should come as no big surprise, as Jon Brion produces her records and scores his movies. Add the fact that Apple and Anderson have dated/are dating (what do you think I am, People magazine?), and the comparisons become concrete quite quickly (say that five times fast). These new tracks from Extraordinary Machine only perpetuate the connection. And btw, they rock me like a hurricane.

So if you're interested, there are two things you must do. First, visit this website (freefiona.com) and sign the petition asking Sony to release Extraordinary Machine. Somehow, in this digital age, it's hard to believe they couldn't find a cost-effective way to make a few bucks off of it. The petition has even received some buzz from the news wires (AP). But they need more digital signatures, so give 'em some love.

Second, saunter on over to this here website, all cloaked and daggered like, and download the tracks Sydney Bristow style. If I could wait for nearly 30 minutes via dial-up to hear them, you can spare the two minutes it will take to zip 'em down with your fancy-schmancy high-speed connection.

So let's get Extraordinary Machine off the shelf and into my/our hands. The tracks are good. And by good I mean flipping sweet -- even to the point of Paul-Philip-Michelson flipping-sweet. Steal them, then go sign a petition for me.

Diddy out.