Flavors Of Entanglement (Standard Edition)

I'd kept an eye out for this release for a while as I've always been a fan of Alanis' unique sound. I quickly changed my order from the standard release to the "DeLuxe" edition as soon as I'd noticed that it existed as I always tend to go for 2-disc releases of albums if they seem good value.

I'm so glad I did, because the second disc, although relatively brief, has a couple of stand-out tracks that are real 5-star items in their own right. For them to feature on a bonus CD instead of the main disc was a pleasant although slightly puzzling discovery. The two tracks I'm referring to are "Orchid" and "Madness". Both are totally stunning in my opinion and I could listen to them over and over. "Orchid" has a harmonious sound with a pleasant flowing nature, tied in by a curious bass line that just seems to fit perfectly. "Madness" is perhaps my favourite track on the entire double disc. It is both gentle and powerful with well-used piano aspects and a quiet, simple drum beat.

Back to the main disc, there are several stand-out tracks for me, namely: "Underneath"; "Moratorium"; "Torch" and "Tapes". Of these tracks "Moratorium" seems perhaps the most far-removed from what I believed Alanis' safe-zone to be, being quite a quick rythmic beat and quite a dark and synthesized sound overall, but it works very well. "Torch" is a track that has parts of it that make your spine tingle if you're in the mood for it, really quite enthusing stuff. "Tapes" perhaps sits alongside "Madness" and "Orchid" as favourite tracks overall. Well lyricised and well-paced to suit the nuances of Alanis' vocals.

The two tracks I felt least-worthy of being on the album were both closing tracks on the discs, namely "Incomplete" and "On the Tequila". Neither seemed to follow the flow of the rest of the disc, coming across as almost randomly cheerful and bright in comparison to the thoughtfulness and intricateness of the rest of the two discs.

But on the whole, who am I to complain? As long as Alanis continues to make beautiful music, so I will continue to listen.

Highly recommended (and make sure you get the 2-disc, not the 1-disc release).

This is my first Alanis Morissette album I've bought and its made a big impression on me and I've decided to get her back catalogue from this one CD>

Fans of Imogen Heap, Frou Frou, Venus Hum and Mandalay should feel right at home here as Guy Sigworth has produced the album with Alanis and his trademark technological wizardry is very much present. From pop beats to shimmering synths and ethnic fused percussion, each song is full of life and energy. Balancing off that are a few ballad types with the emotion "Not As We" being a particular favourite - just vocal and piano.

The beauty of the album is that despite having many things going on all at once the songs have a base of simplicity and so they are catchy while having a certain depth to them too. The guitars are still present for older listeners and fans but they are washed in all kinds of synthesized fun. The bonus disc contains some of the best works too and so if you can pick up the deluxe version.

A fantastic album and I hope it does well. Stand outs for me being "Citizen of the Planet", "Straitjacket" "Not As We", "Tapes", "Orchid" and "Limbo No More".

I was born in the same year as Alanis, as such, vapid as it might seem, I feel "we've had this inexplicable connection since our youth". A few weeks into this album, and overall I love it.

"Tapes" is for me Alanis at her most resplendent: vulnerable, self-aware, defiant. Opening with lyrical self-deprecation:

"I am someone easy to leave"

you might be tempted to give her a good shake, yet the chorus crashes in with steely sound:

"All these tapes in my head swirl around
Keeping my vibe down
All these thoughts in my head aren't my own
Wreaking havoc"

OK, you know she's alright really. The song moves from the gentle diary entries of self-pity to the "snap-out-of-it" refrain. Ironically, it's precisely this constant struggle between lack of vibe and havoc that allows her to flourish musically, that enables this, the finest song on the album, to exist.

"Straightjacket" gets closest to that Jagged Little Pill raging, and proves that Alanis still has that unique talent for making anger just sound so damn good.

Other great flavours include the vibrant "Citizen of the Planet", the dark "Versions of Violence", the indulgent, longing "Torch", the decisive "Moratorium" and the pure, happy "Giggling Again for no Reason"

"Underneath"... I'm still on the fence about this one.

As usual it's the slower tracks (for me) that let the album down. "Not as We" looks great in theory, and on paper, but the reality doesn't quite work.

It's also difficult to get enthusiastic about the last track "Incomplete". Alanis just doesn't convince with this "One day I'll find relief/I'll be arrived" and part of me rather selfishly hopes she doesn't ever arrive, lest all her lyrics are relegated to this kind of low-maintenance optimism, with the music nodding and smiling encouragingly.

Equally, it's hard not to do a double take on "In Praise of the Vulnerable Man" when she croons "why won't you lead the rest of your cavalry home"????? Eh?

Still, whilst other bands from my formative years never even made the transition from my CD pile to MP3, Alanis remains one of the few artists whose albums I look forward to AND love to play. She has yet to genuinely disappoint!