A Mistake - Fiona Apple

When I was a kid, I had the Fiona Apple album Extraordinary Machine on my iPod; I think my dad put it there. I was into more energetic classic rock, and didn’t really connect with Fiona’s more personal and modern style. 

A few years ago, I was watching a YouTube video about Jon Brion’s production contributions on Kanye’s Late Registration, an album that I view as a masterpiece of production. Jon mentioned that he had worked with Fiona Apple before. I was curious, as I hadn’t really given her a shot since I was a kid.

I started with her album When The Pawn… and was drawn in from the first note. The opener is a really powerful and creatively-arranged track that wasn't what I was expecting at all. I had previously thought that Fiona was a more passive indie artist, but she brought a lot of aggressive energy and conviction. The rest of the album was very well produced and had great song writing. One of the tracks that really stood out was “A Mistake,” about halfway through the album.

It kicks off into a super laid-back groove that reminded me of CAKE’s “Nugget” or Propellerheads' “360,” both songs that are dear to my heart (that I'll probably write about sometime soon). Then this brassy guitar lick comes in and transitions into the first verse.

There are so many different guitar sounds used on this track that all do really different and interesting things. Every section of this song is so distinct because of the creative use of so many different guitar tones and styles, all played by Jon Brion.

-       The guitar in the intro, and the instrumental break, sounds vaguely like something off the White Album, because of its separation between the two channels, harsh tone, and simplicity. It grabs your attention and provides a memorable instrumental melody. 

-       The acoustic punctuating the vocals in the bridge helps separate that section of the song from the verse and gives the song a bit of a pop feel.

-       The background ‘noise’ guitar is barely recognizable as a guitar, but provides an ambience that fills out the sound.

-       The deeper electric guitar inserts some power behind the vocals. It then becomes a crucial part of the groove during the instrumental break, and again reminds me of CAKE.

Fiona delivers a really good vocal performance, with lots of interesting inflections and vocal sliding. The lyrics are full of creative angsty lines, but all of that is really overshadowed by the production, particularly the use of the guitar to shape every part of the track. This is a phenomenal song that can't be listened to passively, demanding attention from start to finish.