an otherwise exasperating day at work today was brightened by a rousing late afternoon round of Name that 90s Song (thank you rhino records Whatever! box set), during which i was reminded of what a great song this is. despite the absurd vocal looping at the end of each chorus. seriously listen to it. they hold that note for like 16 measures. ridiculous. great song tho. -d

this is one of my favorite complete albums of all time. when it came out, there was all this great hubbub about how jon brion had produced a version of the album, but that she (read: sony) wasn’t totally sold on it so she (ibid) brought in some different producers to tweak it. ultimately it was the latter version that got released, but not before the former leaked onto the web and became a holy grail among torrents. (i only recently got my hands on a decent rip of it.) personally, i love them both. regardless of production, her voice and songwriting are a combination that just won’t quit. but jon’s version is pretty special. novelty aside, there is something about his obsessive little plinks and clangs that perfectly complement fiona’s own well-documented neuroses. the result is an album that somehow feels as quietly precise as it does wildly untethered. it’s a total trip, and practically perfect. -d