Morissette as you have never heard her before
Alanis Morissette has many talents, actress, singer, songwriter and record producer to name but a few. The new release by this Canadian-born artist, ‘Flavours of Entanglement’ is the seventh studio album, is co-produced by Guy Sigsworth and is an album of highly creative and very differing tracks.
Musically this album has it all. Because of Morissette’s love of many genres of music, the album combinations all of which she has an interest in listening to. From hip-hop beats, organic instruments, technological elements and that special Morissette style she has become known for, everything is fused together remarkably.
The opening track on this heavenly album has a mysterious tapping and surrounding atmospheric waves of sound before exploding into a more upbeat and rock nature. ‘Straitjacket’ is a more electro and technically influenced track, which surprisingly Morissette can pull off. The rumbling of electro rises beneath ‘Giggling Again for No Reason’ to a dance beat while holding the electro wobble and vibration and the dance beats also flow in the more urban ‘The Guy Who Leaves’.
Even with this new change and musical alterations, it is nice to hear that Morissette can still hold the acoustic aspect. ‘Torch’ is piano based and lined with tingles and strings to make a real impact. This is one where vocal and musical alignment is right on track. ‘Incomplete’ is a mellow folksy ballad to begin with and while still holding that basis introduces a thunder of backing beats.
‘Flavours of Entanglement’ is riddles with emotion expressed through the lyrics as well as the musical side like the dark nature held over ‘Versions of Violence’. Morissette has spent a while writing this record and therefore incorporated different influences and experiences. Some tracks are based on her personal relationships; others include themes of political conflict. ‘Underneath’ is a song about how before you aim to make changes in the world you must first change yourself. ‘Not as We’ is about falling apart, while ‘Moratorium’ is essentially about Morissette’s state of mind and wanting to stop repeating bad patterns.
The tracks on this album may be no ‘Ironic’, ‘Thank You’ or ‘Hand In My Pocket’ but with the combined minds of Sigsworth and Morissette, a creative work of art is produced.