TRACK REVIEW: The Tippo Allstars feat. Fiona Apple - Your Molecular Structure

TRACK REVIEW:

The Tippo Allstars feat. Fiona Apple

PHOTO CREDIT: Sebastian Kim

Your Molecular Structure

9.6/10

The track, Your Molecular Structure, is available from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB8FubRaK-8&feature=emb_title

GENRES:

Jazz/Art-Pop

ORIGIN:

New York, U.S.A.

RELEASE DATE:

28th November, 2019

The album, IF YOU’RE GOING TO THE CITY: A Tribute to Mose Allison, is available via:

https://fatpossumrecords.bandcamp.com/album/if-youre-going-to-the-city

LABEL:

Fat Possum Records

__________

I normally do not…

review cover versions or reinterpretations because, as you can imagine, it is hard to add a lot of commentary to a song that is already out there and is well-known! In the case of Fiona Apple and her take on Your Molecular Structure, there are a few reasons why I wanted to include it. For a start, it is a short song (under two minutes) and it is from Mose Allison’s album, I've Been Doin' Some Thinkin', of 1968. Fiona Apple contributed to Jeff Goldblum’s new album and was singing alongside The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra. Here, she is working with The Tippo Allstars and has performed this sublime rendition. I want to talk about Fiona Apple specifically but, before I do, I want to bring in an article that talks about the album– where Your Molecular Structure is taken from:

“Fat Possum Records announces IF YOU’RE GOING TO THE CITY: A Tribute To Mose Allison out November 29. The collection features Taj Mahal, Robbie Fulks, Jackson Browne, The Tippo Allstars feat. Fiona Apple, Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite, Chrissie Hynde, Iggy Pop, Bonnie Raitt, Loudon Wainwright III, Richard Thompson, Peter Case, Dave Alvin and Phil Alvin, Anything Mose!, Frank Black, and Amy Allison with Elvis Costello. The CD and LP packaging will include a DVD copy of Paul Bernay’s 2005 documentary on Mose Allison titled ‘Ever Since I Stole The Blues.’ It was originally produced for the BBC.

Wainwright remembers, “For many years I made a point of going to see Mose Allison play wherever I could -In London, Chicago, LA, and , of course, in my hometown of New York. I considered his gigs essential listening and going for me was, not to get too highfallutin’ , a pilgrimage. When I nervously would approach to say hello to him after a show I was always thrilled that he seemed happy to see me. Mose’s cover version of my song “I’m Alright” was an unparalleled highlight of my career and I can only hope he would have approved of my stab at “Ever Since The World Ended.”

Mose’s daughter Amy Allison teamed up with musician/producer Don Heffington to honor her father’s rich catalog of songs. “We were talking about my dad’s legacy and thinking about all the musicians who were fans, and how a tribute album featuring some of these artists would be cool, especially if it were to benefit a worthy cause. Don said “Let’s put it together ourselves” and introduced the idea (and me) to his friend producer/engineer /studio owner Sheldon Gomberg. Sheldon ALSO happens to be on the board of Sweet Relief Musician’s Fund, an organization started by Victoria Williams to benefit musicians in need. And so it began…”

Sweet Relief Musicians Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides assistance to career musicians who are struggling to make ends meet while facing illness, disability, or age-related problems. Grant recipients include recording artists, club and session musicians, and composers and songwriters from every musical genre. Since its inception, Sweet Relief has helped musicians with medical and living expenses, including insurance premiums, prescriptions, medical treatment and procedures, housing and food costs, utilities, and other basic necessities.

Born in 1927 in the Mississippi Delta, Mose John Allison grew up listening to jazz and blues greats such as Louis Armstrong, Memphis Minnie, Duke Ellington, Louis Jordan and the Nat Cole Trio. He learned to play piano and trumpet as a boy. After a stint in the army and then several years playing in clubs around the South, he moved to New York City to make his career as a pianist, songwriter, and performer fronting his own trio. Allison performed with jazz greats such as Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, and Gerry Mulligan, and developed a distinctive style of playing that fused blues and jazz with succinct and timeless lyrics. Mose Allison became a favorite among his peers and his songs have been covered by other great artists such as Van Morrison, The Who, Bonnie Raitt, Elvis Costello, The Clash and many others. Allison passed away in 2016 at the age of 89”.

It is a great project and, before I go on to other aspects of Fiona Apple, I want to stay with this theme. I have been waiting for an excuse to review Fiona Apple and, with new material expected next year (more on that later), I couldn’t wait any longer! I always love when collaboration albums come out and we see a host of big artists unite. I guess Jeff Goldblum’s albums allow artists like Fiona Apple and Sharon Van Etten the chance to appear on the same record; singing these great standards and bringing them into the modern world. Mose Allison Jr. was an American Jazz and Blues pianist, singer, and songwriter. He became notable for playing a unique mix of Blues and modern Jazz, both singing and playing piano. Many people might not be aware of his work so, rather than let that material get lost or only remembered by a past generation, albums like IF YOU’RE GOING TO THE CITY: A Tribute to Mose Allison are a beautiful tribute. It means we can remember the material and are urged tom seek out the originals. It is also fascinating imaging how the artists were chosen and whether they requested to sing particular tracks or whether they were assigned specifically. Fiona Apple has been quite busy with these sorts of projects. Whilst we await a new album, she has been contributing the odd song here and there. Apple unveiled a cover of The Waterboys’ The Whole of the Moon on the series finale of Showtime’s The Affair Sunday. Many artists might focus on a studio album and would find outside projects a bit of a distractions. Actually, Fiona Apple is getting this great experience and expanding her palette. She will bring that into her next record and expand her sound. She has been jamming with Jeff Goldblum and now has this great song included alongside The Tippo Allstars. These varied projects keep Apple active and match-fit. I know Apple is a Jazz/Art-Pop artist, but I wonder whether her next album will be more in the style of traditional Jazz. Speaking of her new album, Pitchfork posted about it earlier in the year; when we might expect a little something:

“The wait for Fiona Apple’s new album may be nearly over. In a rare interview with New York Magazine, she revealed that the follow-up to 2012’s The Idler Wheel... was “supposed to be done a million years ago” but that she is “hoping” for an “early 2020” release. When asked how the new album compares to her earlier work, Apple responded:

PHOTO CREDIT: Epic Records

It’s probably its own thing. But I don’t know how to articulate that. It’s like, if you’ve been working out every day for a month and then nobody sees you, they see the difference, but if you’ve been doing it all the time, you don’t really see the difference. I can’t really know the growth or the evolution or anything like that in what I do, because I’m in the middle of it”.

I will come to an interview Apple conducted earlier in the year where she has discussed upcoming plans and how she spends time away from music. I think Apple is one of the most fascinating and original artists the world has ever produced. I am fascinated by her ever step and, since it has been seven years since her last album, The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do, many people are champing at the bit to hear new stuff from this icon. One thing has struck me when I think about her career progression and her early life: why there has not been a biopic about her. I know Fiona Apple is early-forties, but I feel she has accomplished a lot and she did release her debut album, Tidal, back in 1996. A lot of biopics have been released over the past few years, and there are many more in the works. Just looking at her Wikipedia page and reading what she experienced in her early life/career makes me thing what it would be like putting her story on the screen:

“At age 12, Apple was raped outside the apartment she shared with her mother and sister in Harlem. She then developed an eating disorder, purposely slimming her developing body, which she saw as "bait". After the incident, Apple also suffered panic attacks while walking home from school, which led to her relocating to Los Angeles to live with her father for one year. In 2000, she insisted that she did not write songs about this trauma: "It doesn't get into the writing. It's a boring pain. It's such a fuckin' old pain that, you know, there's nothing poetic about it".

Apple was introduced to the music industry in 1994, when she gave a demo tape containing the songs "Never Is a Promise", "Not One of Those Times", and "He Takes a Taxi" to her friend who was the babysitter for music publicist Kathryn Schenker. Schenker then passed the tape along to Sony Music executive Andy Slater.[14] Apple's abilities captured his attention, and Slater signed her to a record deal.

In 1996, Apple's debut album, Tidal, was released by Work Records and Columbia Records. The album sold 2.7 million copies and was certified three times platinum in the U.S. "Criminal", the third single, became a hit and the song reached the Top 40 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The song's controversial Mark Romanek-directed music video played on MTV. Other singles from Tidal included "Shadowboxer", "Sleep to Dream", and "Never Is a Promise". Apple accepted the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards for her song "Sleep to Dream", during her acceptance speech she said:

This world is bullshit. And you shouldn't model your life—wait a second—you shouldn't model your life about what you think that we think is cool and what we're wearing and what we're saying and everything. Go with yourself”.

Apple has released some stunning albums, and I do think her tale would really capture the imagination. Maybe she needs to accrue more years in the business, but I think Apple is one of the most interesting artists; such a magnificent songwriter that has inspired so many others. I want to discuss Fiona Apple and interviews, because it has been a while since she has spoken with the press – an interview or two this year was unexpected; many did not expect to hear from her at all. I can understand a slight reservation to do interview and, when you have no new music out, there is not really a point.

As this Vulture interview shows (which I will quote from later), Apple has inspired artists such as Billie Eilish and Lana Del Rey. So many musicians are picking up Fiona Apple’s music and finding something unique and wonderful. I know Fiona Apple has struggled in the past and had some hard times, but she has also released some of the best music of the past two decades. I do feel a biopic would be really popular and it would also influence a wave of new songwriters. Maybe that is something to consider going forward. Right now, there is a lot of new activity from Apple and she is getting us really excited. Not only has Apple sung on a few different albums over the past couple of months; she has also seen her song, Criminal, licensed to T.V. and film. It is not unusual to hear Fiona Apple’s songs appear in various shows and films, but she has donated the proceedings to a refugee fund. This article explains more:

“Elsewhere in the interview, Apple discussed her decision to donate earnings from 2019 and 2020 TV and film placements of her song “Criminal” to the refugee fund While They Wait. “I was looking on Twitter, which is unusual for me,” she tells writer Rachel Handler. “I did a Twitter search on immigration and I found [Scott Hechinger from Brooklyn Defender Services], and this organization made the most sense for me. If I can’t get stuff in there, at least I can try and help them get out of there. When you can help and you want to, it’s really wonderful to do that.”

She also talked about the use of “Criminal” in the film Hustlers—which stars Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B, Lizzo, and more—saying she lent her song because of “what it was and who was in it.” “But I didn’t know [Jennifer Lopez] was going to be dancing to it,” she explains. “I’ve seen a lot of pieces about how they got [the rights to] ‘Criminal,’ but it’s just funny to me—there’s a disconnect between agents, because I never got a video of the dance. And I want it, bad! I’m all for the movie, though, and I’m excited to see it.” Read the full interview at New York Magazine”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Sebastian Kim

I wanted to mention this article to show the benevolent side of Fiona Apple. Also, I have been conflicted regarding artists having their songs used by T.V. and film companies. It is a good way of being made aware of an artist, but I do think it can detract from the material. I have such fondness for Apple’s music, it is strange seeing it placed somewhere else. Apple is not someone who lets just anyone use her music, and I think her songs are deployed really effectively. It is admirable she donated the earnings from Criminal’s placement to a very worthy cause. Again, this is why I think she would be perfect for cinematic treatment – or maybe a Netflix documentary about her. I do think there is a difference between modern Pop artists selling their songs to advertising and having it score something awful and someone respected like Apple having her music used. There are so many great songs that could perfectly score brilliant scenes and moments. I am a fan of Paper Bag (from her 1999 album, When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He'll Win the Whole Thing 'fore He Enters the Ring There's No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might so When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and If You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where to Land and If You Fall It Won't Matter, Cuz You'll Know That You're Right), and I do feel like there is a great opportunity for film and T.V. producers to add something golden to their work. Apple’s music is so rich and special that it summons so many different feelings. You can feel and appreciate every breath; she is personal and raw but there is so much beauty and passion in her music. The New York-born artist’s blend of Pop and Jazz tones was very different to anything that was around in the 1990s. I still think it is quite rare but, as I say, she has inspired quite a few upcoming artists.

Before reviewing Your Molecular Structure, I wanted to mention Apple as an original and innovator; I also wanted to quote a few bits from an interview she gave to Vulture a couple of months back. When her debut album, Tidal, arrived in 1996, I was really taken aback. There are soothing, swooning and sumptuous tracks like Pale September and Slow Like Honey that remind one of older Jazz standards. It was unusual hearing this young artist in the 1990s recount the spirit of Jazz queens. Her voice sounds completely awe-struck and enticing when she lets these evocative compositions wash over her. Criminal shows the sort of contrasting sounds she was capable of; a song with more beat and intensity. Some critics accused her lyrics of being under-cooked and forgettable, but I think they are one of her strong suits. Her lyrics take you into the song and mix poetry and the confessional. Songs such as Shadowboxer are really engrossing and one can hear the genius of Apple pour out. Few artists now have the same compositional skills as her; back in the 1990s, there were so few solo artists with the same talent and reach as Apple. I urge people to investigate her entire back catalogue, because it is the work of a brave and stunning artist who deserves so much love. It is quite irksome considering the fact radio stations do not really play her music a lot. Compared to some of the more commercial artists, how often do we hear a Fiona Apple tune played? I can’t remember the last time I heard one of her tracks, so I do think radio stations need to get involved and include her on their playlists. There are whispers of fresh material for 2020, so I feel like this oversight will be rectified.

PHOTO CREDIT: Béatrice de Géa/The New York Times

Let us move on to Fiona Apple and the media. She has been a little quite over the past few years and, as her previous album came out in 2012, there was no good reason for her to chat. She has been busy and, unexpectedly, she requested an interview from Vulture. It is not often artists sort of ask for interviews, but I think there was a lot of talk around Fiona Apple; maybe she wanted to set the record straight. I recommend people check out the whole interview, but I wanted to grab a few quotes, because it is great to see Fiona Apple in print and discuss her plans. Apple was asked about online chat and her work:

“How do you keep up with what people are saying about you? Are you lurking online?

Other people tell me. I’m not online. I don’t have Twitter. I do search things, like when I searched the Hustlers thing … to see what people are talking about. That’s how I found you.

You famously wrote “Criminal” in 45 minutes at age 17, after the record label asked for a single. What does the song mean to you as an adult?

Right now the song itself, the lyrics, those don’t really mean anything to me. The way it started, the video, all the crap I got — using this song now, and using it in this movie for a purpose I believe in, is like reclaiming it. I’m not that scared girl in underwear anymore. The song isn’t that to me anymore. It’s my way of paying for things that I want to get done.

I do remember when the video came out, it was such a flash point for this very specific, male-dominated, shitty discourse — people fixated on your body and perceived sexuality, using phrases like “heroin chic” and dubbing your performance “pornographic.” What do you think about when you watch the video now?

I haven’t watched the video in a while. I’m still in touch with Mark Romanek [the director], and he’s a great guy and he’s my friend. That was just a situation where everything was set up when I got there. I didn’t have the treatment of how the video was supposed to be. They were expecting somebody to come up and be like, “Yeah! I’m sexy! I’m stripping!” versus somebody being like, “I’m sad.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Sebastian Kim

How do you make new music within that sort of system?

worry a lot about what it’s gonna be like when I actually have to put out an album and go out there. I think I’m getting close to finishing. While I’m doing it, I have to put the rest of it out of my mind. It’s just fun. It’s just me making stuff, on my own time, and then not making stuff for years, and then starting to make stuff. It’s just around this time when things are starting to shape up with the album and everything is getting toward the finish line — that’s when I start to get a little concerned for myself. I’ll be okay, I just know that it’s not going to be all enjoyable. Every time I go out on a photo shoot, I think, This is different from seven years ago. I don’t feel like this anymore.

Are you able to detach yourself from the publicity process more than you used to?

Not exactly. I might be able to, but it’s more that I’m like a scientist and curious about how I’m affected by these things at this point in my life. After seven years away, what is she like in this situation now? I’m sort of observing myself, seeing what it’s like.

When do you think the album might be ready?

I mean, I don’t know! It’s hard to say. I was supposed to be done a million years ago. And I go off and I take too long making stuff. I’m hoping for early 2020. I think”.

I am not sure what the next few months hold for Apple, but she is definitely gearing up for something. She is this really interesting person who has such wisdom when it comes to the music industry and the wider world. I want to end with one last question, where she was asked about her relationship with her fans:

“When you do leave your house, what’s your relationship like with fame, with your fans? Do you interact with them, do they approach you?

I don’t get approached a lot. I’m not around people enough for it to be a thing. I haven’t noticed anybody notice me in [a long time] … but when I’m out with people, sometimes they’ll notice me getting noticed. Anytime anyone talks to me, they’re always really nice. Way back at the beginning, I was thinking I could put out a CD and I’d make all of these friends, and I wouldn’t know them but they’d know me, so that when I met them I could just say hello and we’d already be friends — I think it actually came true in a way. Not that I’m actually friends with everyone I meet. But if you’re intimate with my music, you’re intimate with me and I’m intimate with you. I feel like you’re my friend. Maybe that’s a little bit too childlike, but I do feel like that”.

I was not sure what to expect when being faced with a new song from Fiona Apple, albeit one that is an older cut from a Jazz artist. Mose Allison’s Your Molecular Structure is a song I was not familiar with going into this review, and it is a pretty brief number. I can see why this song was right up Apple’s street, because the lyrics are pretty unconventional and have their own charm. I did not want to hear the original, because I feel like that would sway my opinions too much and it would cloud the way I viewed this new version. The vocal goes straight in. “Your molecular structure is really somethin' fine/A first-rate example of functional design/Those cosmic undulations are steady comin' through/Your molecular structure baby, me and you” is the opening verse, and you are instantly swept up in the mood. The Tippo Allstars are sort of unknown to me, so I cannot give too much detail about them – whether they are a new band or how they started out. Regardless, there is this beautiful fusion of Jazz and something true to Fiona Apple that will appeal to everyone. The musicians bring this intoxicating rhythm that gets the feet moving and the eyes open. Having absorbed all Fiona Apple’s music, she seems very comfortable in this setting. Her vocal is faster and more urgent than we are used to, but she never loses control or sounds rushed. Instead, she manages to bring these words to life and makes you smile. We do see modern songs that are quirky and look at love in a unique way, but I think, through the decades, things have become more conventional and formulaic. Apple is an artist who describes life, love and emotions like nobody else. I get the feeling, when Apple was approached, she selected this song because of its imagery and sense of humour. I love the strings (I think there is some double bass in the back) and the drive from piano. The rhythmic kick and dance is infectious, and Apple delivers one of her most effusive, interesting and direct vocals ever. May might debate that, but I think she sounds in her peak here.

Maybe a bit of brass weighing in might have lent the song more weight and romance, but the composition has that nice balance of the sparse and energised. One hardly has time to catch their breath as the next verse waltzes in – more of a jive, I guess. “Your cellular organization is really something choice/Electro-magnetism 'bout to make me lose my voice/Got all my circuits open, my system's readin' "go"/Your cellular organization baby, stop the show”. Apple sounds completely sold on these lines that sound like they were written about technology, rather than a human. I am not sure what the original song referred to and where the inspiration came from. Today, as we are surrounded by technology, there is almost this very prescient meaning behind words of devotion to the electronic. In my mind, the words give a new slant to a burning relationship and this attraction. Maybe Apple had someone in her thoughts when she was singing her lines, because you can detect this very real urge and passion that rises up. As there are few words, the song is given more vision and story with a beautiful piano-led section in the middle. I am not sure who is playing piano (whether it is Apple herself), but it keeps up this insatiable catchiness that will burrow into the head. Those who are not familiar with Jazz or have this set impression need to investigate songs like this, because there are so many different sides – I forgot to talk about Jazz earlier on. We have this stereotyped view of Jazz and what it will sound like; many are put off or do not listen to Jazz as they feel it lacks anything interesting or modern. A quick listen to Your Molecular Structure and one gets hints and scents of Swing and Pop; there is some of Apple’s solo work and the Jazz sounds of the 1940s and 1950s. After the breathless vocal of Apple earlier on, the pace changes slightly towards the end. The words run as follows: “Your molecular structure is really somethin' swell/A high-frequency modulated Jezebel/Thermodynamically, you're gettin' to me/Your molecular structure baby, ooh wee!”. The verse starts off quite face and frantic, but Apple elongates the second half.

By doing so, adds this strange allure to words that, on the surface, seem more scientific than they do lustful. The more you listen to the song, the more you fall for it. At first, it has that quirkiness that makes you grin. After a few spins, Your Molecular Structure forms into a more relatable love song, though the words do still sound quite odd. I love the images one projects when they hear the song and the fantastic interplay between Fiona Apple and The Tippo Allstars. It is a fantastic inclusion from the IF YOU’RE GOING TO THE CITY: A Tribute to Mose Allison album. The song forms part of a larger story, and I would prompt people to check out all the tracks as the likes of Iggy Pop and Frank Black can be heard in the mix. The album’s proceeds will be donated to the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, so go and grab it, as there is so much to enjoy. Also, check out the work of Mose Allison and discover this influential and hugely admired composer. Whilst it is wonderful having this album out in the world, I am glad I get the chance to review the splendid Fiona Apple – something I have not done before. Everything she touches turns to gold; this track is no exception. Keep your eyes open, because we will see something in album-form from Fiona Apple next year. One of music’s true originals shows, here, that there is nobody with her talents and ability. She is an artist who, years from now, will be seen as an icon.

I have talked a lot about Fiona Apple and, no offense to the brilliant Tippo Allstars, but I am a big Fiona Apple fan…and it is wonderful hearing her perform with different orchestras and artists. Like so many great artists, there is a bit of a gap between albums, because she could not operate the same way as a modern Pop artist who bangs out these rather samey tunes and is expected to produce an album every year or so. Apple’s songs are much more evolved and detailed. She is a proper songwriter, and I think it is important to have time to breathe and not be harried. She is not on Twitter, and I think it is good Apple steps away from the spotlight and can write without too much crap coming her way. I do not think there are any gigs coming up before a new album. We have rumours and various reports, but I am not sure what form the album will take and whether it will be out early or late next year. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of Apple’s previous albums, so I am not expecting to be disappointed. Having worked with various people over the last few months, I wonder whether Apple will bring any of these sounds to her album; whether she will collaborate with people and if there is going to be a sonic departure. It will be interesting to see, because I think we need another album from her to lift a lot of the gloom we are feeling! Although Fiona Apple has influenced others, there is nobody like her around. I am excited to see what is coming and whether we will get a single or teaser very soon. As she is not on Twitter, you do not get the same slew of reports and tweets that other artists put out. If you can, get a copy of the album, IF YOU’RE GOING TO THE CITY: A Tribute to Mose Allison, and enjoy all the other artists and cuts. It is an eclectic and fascinating album that anyone can love – one does not have to be a Jazz fan. I wanted to focus on the Fiona Apple and Tippo Allstars song, because I am a big Fiona Apple fan, and I sort of think it is timely talking about her, what with an album scheduled for next year. Whether Apple is talking about her work, collaborating with others or striking out alone, here is someone who is…