Brand new fan, checking in!
Hey Tori Amos fans!
I made a post in here the other day, saying I was brand new and looking for three albums from different eras to give me an entry point to her range.
Based on all the comments, and my personal interests, I settled on Choirgirl, Night of the Hunters, and In Times of Dragons.
I had a lot of people saying they'd love to hear updates from a brand new fan, because y'all have been listening to her for 20 or so years - and I get that, as a Tool fan since 2001!!
I'll probably end up making more posts here about my journey, as I can tell this *is* going to be a journey for me. If you are reading to this point, I have one request if you comment: I would kindly ask for no "you should" comments, encouraging me to listen to various albums, focus on lyrics, check out live versions, listen to interviews, etc - I am not in the phase of wanting to branch out or go deeper at this point. That point may come, and I may ask for your advice, but right now I have decided how I will enter this journey, and would like to not be pressured to change it :) Thank you!
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Little background: I was a kid/teen during Tori's heyday, and I know I had one of her albums burned on a CD. I think it was Little Earthquakes because, looking at the track lists of her 90s albums, I recognize a lot of the song names on that album. Whichever album it was, I guess I didn't really like it, because I forgot about it and never got into her. But recently, the public radio station I listen to has been playing Stronger Together, and I was finding myself enjoying the song more and more, every time it came on. I eventually said, well shit, maybe I should check her out! And that's why I came here and made a thread asking for 3 albums. :)
So, how's it going, you ask? I first played Choirgirl - it was nice, enjoyable, but I didn't feel the need to listen again right away. So I put on Dragons.
I listened to Dragons. I *listened* to Dragons. It ended. I needed to listen to it again. So I did. I listened to Dragons 3 times and then I tried to listen to Choirgirl again. It still didn't resonate. I went back to Dragons. I keep getting Dragons songs stuck in my head. It has only been 48 hours since the first listen and I'm currently on 23 Peaks, ending the album now for I think the 5th or maybe even 6th time?
I've listened to Choirgirl 3 times so far, and it's not at all that I dislike it, but I think Dragons is what I need, at least right now. I dare say I am *obsessed.* I have so many thoughts and feelings about these songs and this album.
My favourite songs are, in this order: Song of Sorrow Shush St. Teresa Veins
But there are no bad songs. Not even close.
One important thing to note about me and my interests here is that I've never in my entire life been a lyrics person. For 30 years, I never cared at all about lyrics. Never paid attention at all. Just fell in love with the *music.* I've changed somewhat in time, and now, when I'm really, really into a song or an album or an artist, I will eventually start looking up lyrics to songs and digging in. As I'm brand new to Tori, that has not happened yet, and will not happen for a while. So my reactions here are solely based on music. The lyrics at this point "do not exist" for me :D It's just the way I am. :) I am absolutely beyond impressed that someone in her 60s, especially who "has it all" according to societal expectations (rich, married for decades, has a family, lives where she wants to live, etc) is still writing such incredibly dark, emotional, moving music that truly hits my core. This is *rare* as fuck. There is something ethereal about her and her art. I feel similarly as to my favourite singer, Alanis Morissette, who put out one of her best albums in 2020, so late into her career, at a point where she too "has it all". I can, of course, only compare these two mildly, as they are very, very different musically, but they certainly are both from a particular era :)
Anyway. Someone asked for my track-by-track reaction to Dragons, and so I wrote down my thoughts during a listen-through of the album, and I'll share them here, if anyone would like to read them.
I have no idea what lies ahead for me on this journey - which albums will resonate, which maybe will not, if I will connect with Choirgirl later, if I will eventually listen to all 18 albums, if, if, if...
But I can say one thing: I have always been quite music-obsessed, and I spend a lot of time discovering music, listening to music, etc. And it has been a *long* time since I found myself feeling *this way* about an artist I'm just discovering.
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Shush - fucking gorgeous. Love the way her vocal melody frames the piano accompaniment, ebbing and flowing in and out of sync with it. Love the irregular/slightly unpredictable chord progression. Her voice is hauntingly stunning. Fucking love the bass kicking in in the second verse. So simple, but hits hard. ooh but then the bass line goes up into a higher register and it's so creepy, tingling my spine. Mmm and the toms in the percussion later on... everything just builds into a haunting stunner. The bridge with that high-register bass line, the piano melody, and her layered harmonies... it's like the darkest church service in my soul. Probably my favourite bit of the song right there.
In Times of Dragons - mmm that yummy, gritty bass line right off the bat... the churning 16th notes in the percussion... painting some kind of train-like imagery... and I love the vamping of that part, before heading to a very light, dream-like chorus. This is the first time on the album we hear her sing in this cloud-ish way. It's like we got out of that train-like vamping repetition and escaped into her dreams... but then we sink back down into that churn... My favourite bits of this song are the bass and the keys in the verses, and the transitions in and out of the choruses - along with her vocal style in the choruses <3 It's seamless.
Provincetown - it might be one of the more forgettable tracks for me right now, but that's not to say it's not nice. It's just not as amazing as many others! I like the transition and the bassline that comes with it around 1 minute in. The harpsichord is very nice here, too. This is one of the few songs that does kind of remind me of Alanis, albeit in a rather distant way. It also sounds the most like what I think of when I hear the name Tori Amos.
St. Teresa - this is one of my favourite songs. This song goes straight to the bones. The riffs in the opener and first verse... the tonality of her voice... this song is an entire atmosphere you can simply get carried away in. I love the descending chords that make up the chorus - it's abnormal and slightly unsettling. But then the post-chorus is pretty. This song reminds me of both Placebo and especially Portishead, which is a very, very positive thing. That tiny little guitar part that just hovers over your head almost constantly also adds to the atmosphere... like you are drifting along in this atmosphere, but there is something hovering over you, reminding you that you are never free... but then it opens up in the bridge, giving you hope, making you feel like you may be freed... but then you descend right back down with those descending piano chords in the chorus. Fuck. I LOVE this song. This song is one of those times when you're like wait that was 6 minutes long? How? I want more.
Gasoline Girls - now is a span of several songs I'm not quite as into, but they are still nice. I really love how that bass line comes in hard, but then is counterbalanced by this super light and sweet piano line... and then the transition to the chorus, well, the chorus is just very nice. I have similar feelings to this song as to Provincetown, but I like this one more. It is quirkier, between the piano line and the bass line. It's a bit jolty, feels disjointed and like we're meant to feel a bit toss about, unsettled or unstable even, before going back into a very pretty chorus each time. The verses make me feel like we're swaying or swinging like the pendulum on a clock that is off-kilter.
Ode to Minnesota - honestly, I think I could love this one if it was longer. Her vocal melody and piano melody do again what she did in the first song, going in and out of sync with each other, and I really enjoy that. It speaks to her skill and talent as a pianist to be able to write like that. This song is very pretty and simply ends way too soon.
Fanny Faudrey - this is super duper cute, but I am not quite sure how I feel about it. I think this one I will have to see in time how it ends up resonating with me. I think I like it, but I also somehow find it out of place. I somehow want it to be longer and also think it's too long. I'm inclined to think I will like this more in time, though. I think I'm unsure about the kinda hillbilly style of music, but her take on it is very interesting and I love how her voice works here.
Veins - I think I slept on this one the first two listens. It's now resonating a lot. Back to that dark and haunting atmosphere, but this time with the creepy synths hovering over the top and again serving up some Portishead vibes. I absolutely love the falling bass line in the prechorus... and empty hollowness behind it. Just the falling bass, the creepy synths, and her magical voice... before sliding into yet another gorgeous chorus. So far, this would have to be my second favourite song after St. Teresa. Her harmonies are also super interesting in the chorus - non-traditional and weird but yet still pretty.
Strawberry Moon - this one already stood out to me on first listen, and by third I'm totally in love. The way we enter this song is so strange and I adore it. I love the tonality of her vocals here, and how she works them with this light, airy, almost sweet song that still has a tinge of darkness over it. It might be the most basic, simple song on the album that I actually just love. It's a lot less experimental, non-traditional, weird, or risky than the others I love... but somehow it just stays with me. I get swept away with the atmosphere of this one, and that crooning "strawberry mooooooooooooooooooooon..." that keeps coming back and carrying us across the skies... and freaking ending on a minor chord... oof... girl.
Song of Sorrow - a whopping standout. Totally obsessed with this one. The strings. That heart-wrenching, syncopated piano riff. The syncopated, devastated vocal melody... and then fucking hell that GORGEOUS CHORUS WHAT?? How does she keep doing this? How does she compose these fucking atrociously fucked up verses that make you feel like everything is dying and all is wrong, but then seamlessly take you into the most gorgeous chorus? And back? I get to the chorus and I never want to leave this place... but then she takes us back into the darkness and I love it... THAT PIANO RIFF. I'm dying while listening to this, but her chorus saves us every time. Another real favourite. Way up there.
Flood - that string intro... leading into the piano... feels like we're about to see an epic film... James Bond, Conchita Wurst vibes... I absolutely adore her voice here. the range, the control, and the quality she chooses... this is probably the most purely beautiful song on the album, with it of course still having a slight darkness to it, and the verses having a strange melody. It's a great song, but has the misfortune of following Song of Sorrow, which is not fair to anyone ;) But her voice is top, top, top here. Absolute love.
Pyrite - such a cool start, with the funky bass line, the straight drum rhythm, and the siren-y "Pyyyyyrite" shouts over the top. The drums, bass, piano, and synths all feel like they are in entirely different worlds from each other, yet they somehow find each other so nicely here. This is a bizarre meeting of styles, and I really enjoy it.
Tempest - and now we head into a very powerful set of songs to close out the album... kind of feel like each of the next songs is just a little bit better than the previous. I just love the piano that starts this song off, and I find the chorus is super cool. But that constantly-driving piano part is what makes this song so strong. Even when it softens for the verses, it's still pushing everything forward. This song feels like I'm being carried toward the end - end of what, I'm not sure. End of the story? I can tell this is a concept album, even though I have not checked the lyrics at all. I don't know if all her albums are, but this definitely is. And this song is definitely carrying us toward an end of some sort. Epic-tragic-feeling song.
Angelshark - the song name feels so cringe, but the song is anything but. This song feels like an underwater heartbeat, or like we're on some choppy water in the sea. I love how the song builds. The percussion and bass really carry this song, with the piano merely providing some decoration. Love that a song that's 3:47 feels very "short" on her album :) Short and sweet. Beautiful song.
Blue Lotus - so many subtleties here... the gentle percussion... the gentle guitar and piano... and slight bass adorning the background... and then we transition into this harpsichord chorus. It's another strange song that is just so interesting and nice. The verses are so dark, subdued, yet serene... and the choruses contrast that with the sheer choice in instrumentation. Nothing really changes in the percussion/bass/guitar/piano, but what the harpsichord does along with her vocals just makes the chorus sound so much more optimistic. But the third verse is the most stunning with the harmonies... and then the build to the bridge give me goosebumps. The outro makes me feel so full of hope or freedom.
Stronger Together - well, this is the song that is the reason I'm here to begin with. The public radio station I listen to has been playing this song, and I just really liked it, so I started to wonder if I'd been sleeping on Tori Amos. And it turns out I have hahaha It's a bit harder to react to this song because I've heard it so many times already, but it's gorgeous. I love it. Her voice here is again so cool, and I find the choruses so powerful. The harmonies are unworldly. A perfect single for the radio, but still with loads of substance.
23 Peaks - ah, now the water/sea/waves motif comes back in a very direct way, which makes me feel more confident that the vibes I had in previous songs were intended :) very cool intro/lead-in to the song... the scene is set and I'm ready. The repetitions and the whispers really create an atmosphere here... we are in the depths. this truly is the end, and this song feels like drowning in the most beautiful way there is. The emotion in her voice makes me feel like I'm going to cry. I have not looked up the lyrics to any of these songs, but I can feel the loss from her voice. The barrenness of this song is horrible and stunning - nothing is really happening here and it just completely encompasses you, until the strong organ chords come in at 6:00 - the church sounds, which somehow feels like death here.