Being dumped is no picnic in the park (duh). The ego gets bruised, and a certain skepticism kicks in, making it difficult to believe pretty words for long. Alanis Morissette knows all about this, judging from the bitter ditty "You Oughta Know," the first single from her new album. The song is a howl of rage that starts off sweetly when the 20-year-old singer purrs out the sarcastic opening line, "I want you to know that I'm happy for you/I wish nothing but the best for you both." Picking at the scab of ruined romance as a vortex of sound builds behind her, Morissette sings "And every time you speak her name/Does she know how you told me you'd hold me/Until you died, till you died?" Then she practically shrieks [189k .aiff] "But you're still alive." It's a sound of inchoate fury, the sound of a woman scorned.
Morissette's voice skitters, yelps, soars, and bites, summoning appropriate emotions on demand. At times, Jagged Little Pill recalls the songwriting of Liz Phair, Polly Jean Harvey, and Tori Amos - even if Morissette has little in common with those artists stylistically.
The album resonates emotionally, from the naked yearning of the album-opening "All I Really Want" [225k .aiff], which tells of Morissette's search for meaning in a land that celebrates the vapid, to the quiet musing of "Perfect," [332k .aiff], which bemoans parents who "love you just the way you are if you're perfect."
On Jagged Little Pill, Morissette goes for the jugular and hits it every time. She has an inherent gift for translating emotion directly into sounds and lyrics, using her dangerously beautiful talent to cut away the usual layers of bullshit like dead skin.
All I Really Want You Oughta Know Perfect Hand in My Pocket Right Through You Forgiven You Learn Head over Feet Mary Jane Ironic Not the Doctor Wake Up You Oughta Know [Alternate Take]
The Mafia Is Not Primarily An Organisation Of Murderers. First And Foremost,The Mafia Is Made Up Of Thieves. It Is Driven By Greed And Controlled By Fear.
Between The Law And The Mafia, The Law Is Not The Most To Be Feared
"What if the Mafia were not an organization but a widespread Sicilian attitude of hostility towards the law?"
