Flavours of Entanglement cover art
Flavours of Entanglement is the 7th studio album from Alanis Morissette and unequivocally one of her greatest. Although Alanis has stated in previous interviews regarding her first original album in 3 years that she had been writing diaries with ideas and lyrics since 2004, it has been said that she actually started writing for the album around 18 months ago, the same time she split from fianc� Ryan Reynolds. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
As reported in Billboard last December, Alanis says of the album,"Our emotions align themselves with larger symptomatic things in the world. We face a large war out there, but [the album] more closely reflects the war in peoples' living rooms... the icy silence at home, versus the big cold war." And it shows. The album can best be explained as raw, whether peaking with moments of rage and anger, or lulling at times with extreme sorrow, raw emotion reflecting the situations people go through everyday seeps through the speakers and slaps you in the face.
Opening track �Citizen of the Planet� has a spiritual, Middle Eastern melody akin to something played in meditation sessions, combined with Alanis� distinctive vocals that jut between sombre whispering and the screaming we are used to ala �You Oughta Know.� Definitely one of my favourite Alanis tracks full stop, let alone on the album.
The debut single from the album, �underneath� is about how we must change within before we can change the world- �there is no difference in what we�re doing in here, that doesn�t show up as bigger symptoms out there�. With a catchy loop, beats and chorus (and a great message too), this song is a winner in my book.
�Straightjacket� is a madonna�esque electro-synth sound with a strong bassline and some very agro lyrics. Following which is �Versions of Violence�, another heavy bass-driven beat and hauntingly powerful vocals. Think Alanis Vs Evanescence.
It�s almost as if the aggressive based songs and the calmer, ballad-esque songs are interjected all through the album, as soon as you get fired up, Alanis sings so delicately about a break up and you find yourself sobbing on the couch with a glass of wine reflecting on the mistakes of your past.
The piano-based ballad �Not As We� is an example of the above. Without a doubt one of the highlights of the album, this song sees new and old Alanis fans alike viewing her in a new light. Not only are we privy to her extensive vocal range, the passion in the performance is really effectual. Anyone who�s been through a hard break up can most certainly relate. �Torch� utilises the piano once again, as Alanis sings the song of loss once again.
Another album highlight is �Moratorium�, another electro driven, bass heavy melody with haunting vocals and a great chorus. It�s a song about taking a strike on all things relationship, which given the rest of the albums subject matter, tends to fit in.
All in all, Flavours of Entanglement is a rollercoaster of emotion and sounds and yet another perspective on the artist that keeps on getting better. Listening to the album from start to finish, you won�t know whether to get up and dance, throw your glass at the wall or cry in a corner. I guess a great artist can do that to you.
"Citizen of the Planet" � 4:22
"Underneath" � 4:10
"Straitjacket" � 3:08
"Versions of Violence" � 3:36
"Not as We" � 4:45
"In Praise of the Vulnerable Man" � 4:07
"Moratorium" � 5:35
"Torch" � 4:50
"Giggling Again for No Reason" � 3:48
"Tapes" � 4:26
"Incomplete" � 3:30
