Fiona, Interrupted

A "Better Version of" her?

Sony finally released Fiona Apple's album, "Extraordinary Machine." Of course, they didn't releases the Jon Brion produced version that's been on the web for almost a year now. But, you know, they didn't think his version was commercial enough. (Did I mention that I love Jon Brion and I think his version of "Extraordinary Machine" is genuis AND that I love Fiona Apple? And the only thing better than Jon Brion and Fiona Apple is Jon Brion and Aimee Mann. OK. I'm an indie rock nerd. I'll stop.)

I decided to buy the new album since I've been listening to it for free for a year and owed Fiona a well deserved $13. Plus I wanted to compare the two. To see if the record label was right. If there really was a better version of "Extraordinary Machine" to be had.

Needless to say, in the battle of the producers, Jon Brion wins, although some songs that I didn't like on the Jon Brion version ("Better Version of Me," "O' Sailor" and "Oh Well") are better on what I'm referring to as "the remix album." The new producers solution to killing the Jon Brion-ness of every track is to just kick up the drum and bass, ripping out Brion's string arrangements and gilded lily quirks. The song they destroyed for me, of course, was the one I loved the most, "Not About Love," which had a beautiful, classical quality to it that was inventive and fun and now is just, um, loud. Anyway, anyone else take the "Pepsi Challenge" on Fiona/Jon Brion vs Fiona/Evil Record Company?