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The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do

18 Jun 2012
33 customer reviews
£6.59 (VAT included if applicable)
Buy the CD album for £7.06 and get the MP3 version for FREE. Does not apply to gift orders.
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Product details

  • Original Release Date: 15 Jun. 2012
  • Release Date: 18 Jun. 2012
  • Label: Epic
  • Record Company Required Metadata: Music file metadata contains unique purchase identifier. Learn more.
  • Total Length: 45:08
  • Genres:
  • ASIN: B008ASEIMU
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 14,764 in Albums (See Top 100 in Albums)

Customer Reviews

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Primo Apple
By Kenneth on 31 July 2012
Format: Audio CD
You gotta love Fiona apple! She's still uncomfortably honest, unapologetically confessional, continually in crisis and producing albums with the title length of a William Blake poem. She'll never change and thank goodness for that, because most importantly she's still able to make brilliant music out of all this neuroses. The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do is her stellar fourth studio album, that now easily secures her a place along side PJ Harvey, Cat Power and Bjork as one of the greatest female singer songwriters of the last twenty years. There's always been an undercurrent of darkness to Fiona's music in the past, but her enraged vocals and bleak minor chords are no longer in the periphery here, instead they're obtrusively planted right at the centre.

"Every single night" Whimsically guttural singing and playfully angst ridden lyrics shouldn't be too unfamiliar to Fiona Apple diehards but they may be a little suprised to find the sweet melodious instrumentation that normally accompanies them absent. A sparsely played piano, minimal glockenspiel and an aggresive vocal harmony is about all you can hear for the entirity of this song and as an opener it isn't a red herring for the rest of the album either. Most of these songs have a pared down dissonant quality to them and don't really lend themselves to being featured on commercial radio stations unlike her previous output (Extraordinary Machine especially). The ecclecticism that Fiona's quite renowned for is still to be found on this album though, it's just a little difficult to spot at first, with the angry singing and morose piano chords seemingly dominating every song.Read more ›
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Magnificent
By Big Twink on 14 Sept. 2012
Format: Audio CD
This Lp seems to divide opinion. I must admit that I hadn't heard a lot of Fiona Apple prior to hearing this, so I had no preconceived opinions. Once I heard the first two tracks I knew I had to buy it, it's easily in my top three albums of the year and probably my favourite. It's jazzy, sparse, groovy, intense and uncompromising on every level, but that doesn't mean it's hard work. I was surprised how quickly the grooves and melodies got under my skin, and the lyrics are some of the best you'll ever hear. A magnificient, tour de force of an album.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Refreshingly different
By D. J. Bentley on 24 Dec. 2013
Format: Audio CD Verified Purchase
I rarely write reviews , (although i occasionally find them useful when trying an artist for the first time) as i think everyone has their own opinions , and that's all they are opinions.
I'm writing this to counter some of the negative reviews generated by this album ,it is , i think, a fantastic achievement and marks a logical progression from Tidal to the present.
Many people who follow an artist are often "disappointed " by a release , i can understand that if it's a"Pot boiler " , a contractual obligation , etc but not when then album in question is innovative , and has obviously cost some huge effort and soul searching , if you find it difficult , try a bit harder !
"The idler wheel....' ,in my opinion is Fiona Apple's best to date , bold ,exciting and worth getting to know , she is without doubt one of the most important singer/songwriters at large today. I am looking forward to where she is going next , it certainly won't be as a backing track at Homebase .
If Bob Dylan had decided to put his electric guitar back in it's case because the audience wanted more "Blowing in the wind " we wouldn't have "Blood on the tracks " or " Desire".
So , phenominal album Fiona , i await more delights from you in future . ( From a professional musician )
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Genius
By Monko on 7 Jun. 2014
Format: Audio CD
Fiona Apple does not get much airtime in the UK and I only came across this album about 6 months ago out, but I am so glad I did. This weird, minimalistic, emotional powerhouse of an album has unveiled so many layers of depth, that I am totally captivated by it. It is like nothing else out there; a mixture of cabaret, jazz and pop that initially threw me off balance. It is sang from the heart and for me it trounces all other music that I have heard in the last ten years - and there have been outstanding albums in this period, including Laura Marling's, Once I was an Eagle, Radiohead's In Rainbows.

If you buy an album and expect to love it on first listen, then forget it, it will sound far too jarring on your ears. But give it time and your attention and you will be deeply rewarded. It also gave me the added benefit of introducing me to her previous material, more mainstream than this, but certainly well worth checking out. Genius. Total genius. To those who didn't give it a chance, I'm sure the next X Factor winner will keep you happy for the 2 times you play it. This album is for life!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
A great album
By EJF on 27 May 2013
Format: Audio CD
To be honest, I didn't know any of Fiona Apple's music until the release of this album last year. I was working with a friend who was a big fan and they told me to check her out. I listened to the first track and had to buy the album.
I've had the album for a year now and still listening to it often. The lyrics are great, all the songs are catchy and I love her voice.
I'm not good at writing reviews, but I enjoy this album so much, I had to post. Buy it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Five Stars

Strange.

Published 8 months ago by Christopher Richardson
Four Stars

very good

Published 9 months ago by Leo Gammals
nothing special

I recently discovered this artist via You Tube and purchased her excellent first CD. Not knowing where to go next, I purchased this as it was her latest release. Read more

Published 15 months ago by Tescodirect
Excellent album

I have always been a big fan of Fiona Apple and this album did not disappoint at all. It was shipped in excellent condition and in the time they claimed it would.

Published 15 months ago by JDS
outstanding

every song demands your attention, a really first rate album.
just buy it, it doesnt get old and will bring you a lot of strength in listening.

Published 18 months ago by Tink
Fiona is amazing but is this album a joke?

I pretty much think that the title says it all. Seriously Fiona? What was she thinking? The only thing that's remotely interesting about this album are the tracks "Every Single... Read more

Published on 27 Jun. 2013 by Arpejo86
What's gone wrong?

I've been a fan of Apple's for a very long time - "Tidal" and "When the Pawn ..." are, to me, seminal works; incredibly strong writing, beautifully and sensitively produced. Read more

Published on 30 May 2013 by E. W. Collier
...with knobs on.

Fiona Apple - not a name I was too familiar with, but she has to be one of the coolest people on the planet. Read more

Published on 10 May 2013 by Pete Carroll
A masterclass in pretentious guff

It is pretentious, self-aggrandizing, vainglorious; I feel a tinge of sadness writing this harshly, but it begs to be said that this is not an album of anything remotely presenting... Read more

Published on 11 Mar. 2013 by Matt
I'm a fan ....but......

I am a big fan of Ms Apple, but I find this c.d. is self indulgent and more importantly not very tuneful, such a disappointment. Read more

Published on 14 Feb. 2013 by JOHN/uk

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