Customer Reviews

Alanis Morissette: Under Rug Swept

5 star:		(222)
4 star:		(100)
3 star:		(35)
2 star:		(28)
1 star:		(25)

 

 

Alanis Morissette's latest effort "Under Rug Swept" brings her progression as an artist full circle. Starting with the feminine angst driven and post-teen disenchantment of Jagged Little Pill; continuing with the sagacious, inspiring, alluring, and authenticity of Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie; and progressing with "Under Rug Swept," an album where Alanis puts on a sensual and human interaction hat.

21 Things displays a sort of sensual passion that works attractively with Alanis. The loud guitar and bluntly said prerequisites and check-list orientated requirements are both tongue-and-cheek and revealing, as the listener sees a bit more of Alanis's moral composition.

Narcissus is a critical track that is a musical masterpiece. It's written in the format of carping little notes to various "boys," such as "egotist boy" and "narcissus boy." The lyrical quality is amazing and complements the stunning arrangement perfectly. A perfect balance between rock and easy listening.

Hands Clean is the first and current single and an intriguing one that everyone has been trying to interpret. Some say it's a recollection of Alanis's life in the recording business; while most simply deem it as an interesting synopsis of a relationship plucked out of the plethora of alluring associations Alanis has had over her mere 27 years. Hands Clean is a remarkably strong piece that shows that Alanis can produce a hit without having it backed with loud drums and a roaring guitar. The bridge: "what part of our history's reinvented and under rug swept? / what part of your memory is selective and tends to forget?" will sweep your breath away.

Flinch, the longest track on the album at just over six minutes, is a breathtakingly simple song that affects the listener as only previous songs like "Front Row" could. Although Alanis choose a more country theme for the song, I found myself really enjoying it. Describing a relationship and its effects, Flinch is an amazing song backed with stunning lyrics. Self-disbelief and the effects of rejection are somewhat new topics for Alanis, but she discusses them remarkably well and doesn't sound querulous or too melancholy while she does.

So Unsexy is definitely geared to be a single, yet is a very good song that almost makes you feel sorry of Alanis's seemingly lack of self-belief and confidence during the certain incidence she describes, but I think we've all felt it at some time.

Track 6, Precious Illusions, is yet another song geared to be a single, but happens to be the best song "Under Rug Swept" offers. Alanis looks back, describing the illusions she keeps about life and accomplishment, and it's a highly authentic, relatable, and applicable song that many of us can relate to.

Track 7, That Particular Time, is an absolutely amazing, low key piece that demands eventual notice with its stunning, gentle piano and Alanis's heart wrenching vocals, comparative to "Your Congratulations." Alanis describes a "time" where the relationship she was in presented her with quite a desperate emotional quandary and she comments on the partner who acted as a catalyst to this quandary.

A Man is the only other rock track on the album, but occupies its position will a soaring melody and powerful delivery. Its lyrics exhibit Alanis's ability to play different roles in her music. (Other rock tracks are featured on the Hands Clean import singles.)

You Owe Me Nothing in Return describes what Alanis expects in reciprocation from her partner and is accompanied with magnificent instrumentation that couples with the lyrics to create an unbelievable song. The content of the song is that of almost of a dismissive, selfless Alanis that may contradict some of her earlier ideals showcased in such songs as "Pollyanna Flower," but then Alanis could always be infusing the song with a little esoteric deciphering as well.

Surrendering is a brilliant track that once again talks about human interactions on a personal level but does so with attention paid to the other person and the role that Alanis plays in his life. With Alanis breathy vocals, it makes for an exciting track.

Utopia describes Alanis's "ideal" situation and is beautiful, peaceful, and has stunning multi-layering of voices, which really highlights the simplistic beauty of Alanis's voice.

At eleven tracks, this cd isn't particularly long and is rather isolated in its focus. The constant references to relationships and their affects may be a bit of an adjustment from the passion and earnest questioning/gradual affirmation of "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie," but the songs have grand melodies and easily learned lyrics. Alanis shows that she's still sensual, even if she wore the hat of sage beautifully and grandly. Her voice is different on the various tracks, sometimes more "Supposed" and sometimes more "Jagged," and excitingly enough, something new. She also produced the entire album and wrote it (with lyrics that tend to demand decryption and feature a stellar use of the English language). For Alanis's continued progression as an artist and constant creativity, Under Rug Swept easily merits 5 stars in my book.

Track listing: 1. 21 Things I want in a Lover (3:28) 2. Narcissus (3:38) 3. Hands Clean (4:31) 4. Flinch (6:03) 5. So Unsexy (5:08) 6. Precious Illusions (4:11) 7. That Particular Time (4:21) 8. A Man (4:33) 9. You Owe Me Nothing in Return (4:57) 10. Surrendering (4:35) 11. Utopia (5:00) Total Time- 50:25 ~Includes link to website containing a letter from Alanis and bonus materials

I'm not a huge fan of Alanis (well, at least I wasn't). When I first heard Alanis's new single "hands clean," I decided I'd give this CD a chance. I own her first CD, "Jagged Little Pill" and I love it. I had heard not-so-good things from her sophomore effort "supposed former infatuation junkie," and decided not to buy it (I'm definitely considering it now). "Under Rug Swept" is a *great* album. "Hands clean" is a great song, but some of the other songs are much, much better.
All her songs have great melodies and as usual, eccentric lyrics. When you insert this CD into your computer, you will have access to a "secret" website with some unreleased songs and other tiny benefits.
I can assure you that this is one CD you will not want to stop listening to.

Highlights:
*21 things I want in a lover
*narcissus
*hands clean
*so unsexy
*precious illusions
*utopia

"under rug swept" is a really amazing disc. morissette has taken production control and created a musical set with complex, sometimes hysterical lyrics and a rhythm focused, guitar-heavy melody. absent is the frenetic musical experimentation that was "supposed former infatuation junkie" and in its place is a more cohesive and structured album.
...the angry girl depiction has become such a media and critic's cliche. on "under rug swept" she doesn't so much rant at men as she describes her own place in these dysfunctional relationships...beautifully written, these songs may sound like stream-of-consciousness poetry, but at least they're thought provoking and delivered with great vocal finesse...it's about style, baby, and morissette's hook is the vocal and linguistic game of tag that she plays throughout her songs.
ripped vocals and sexy melodies wrap themselves nicely around morissette's writing, making this a truly wonderful disc. "21 things i want in a lover","hands clean" and "you owe me nothing in return" are three of her strongest tracks to date and alone make the album worth owning...just check out this album.

This is Alanis finally finding herself, coming into her own. Where "Jagged Little Pill" found her exploring a new rock sound and coming to terms with raw emotions, and "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie" was an expression of enlightenment and spiritual rebirth, "Under Rug Swept" is the product of an artist who finally has clarity of mind and is comfortable on all levels in verbalizing her feelings.

The track starts out with the crunching guitar riff of "21 Things I Want In A Lover," a driving standout cut. Here, she's edgy and strong musically, but she's also honest and fun lyrically. ("Are you uninhibited in bed? More than three times a week? All for being experimental?")

"Narcissus" is one of those songs where you instantly associate it with someone. "Dear Narcissus boy / I know you've had your butt licked by your mother ... why do I try to love you / when you really don't want me to?" She says all the things that we've wanted to say to the self-centered people in our lives. And she does it in a mid-tempo quirky clever way.

The early hit from here, "Hands Clean," is classic "new" Alanis -- simple, conversational lyrics, non-threatening hummable melody and a hook that sticks in your head. And for that reason, it's already become a radio favorite.

Other standouts include "Flinch" -- raw emotion set with a sparse arrangement where her voice pierces and haunts. It's a kindred track to the earlier smash "Uninvited." Another is "Utopia." This is definitely a fan track -- very folksy and esoteric and sparse -- but it's clean and simple and lyrically inspiring in a John Lennon "Imagine" sort of way.

My only issue here is that Alanis, since parting ways with Glen Ballard, has pursued her own writing. That's good in that it brings about honest, true-to-life lyrics, but Alanis has an annoying tendency to just write stream-of-consciousness. Whereas a lot of "Jagged Little Pill" was nonsense ("I'm like Estella ... I like to reel it in and then spit it out ... I'm consumed by your apathy ... slap me with a splintered ruler") both "Junkie" and this disc feature things like "We thought a break would be good ... for four moths we sat and vacillated ... we thought a small time apart would clear up the doubts that were abounding ... You knew you needed more time, time spent alone with no distraction, you felt you needed to fly solo and high to define what you wanted..."

The result is often clunky and unmelodic. Alanis ends up phrasing words awkwardly to get them to fit the music, which sometimes ruins the flow of the song. Thankfully, it's less of a problem here than in "Junkie." Also, Alanis has a tremendous sense of melody, so she is able to craft songs that are hummable anyway -- and that's a gift.

In short, this CD is playable, fun, catchy and brilliant. It's still in my player from the day I got it.

Alanis has been criticised for using "unabridged sentences, and '..awkward syntax' with '..distorted phrases'. As any fan will tell you, this is what we LOVE about Alanis, the way she will take a simple feeling, 'Alanisise' it then throw it back out twisted and reworked so we have to think about her wording to uncover what she means, that is her artistic license that makes her so addictive and unique. Don't be put off by Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie's not so hot reviews, it wasn't well received, but 'Under Rug Swept' in in some ways a back to basics album with great melodies, thought provoking lyrics that make u smile with recognition of having the same thoughts and feelings in your own past relationships. If you're looking for a reason to come back to Alanis, this is it. a Fantastic album.

Alanis Morissette's second major release ("Supposed Former Infatuation Junky") after her incredible "Jagged Little Pill" album was so overwhelmingly disappointing that it is barely remembered for its music -- but its bad reception. But wise enough, Alanis ditched her previous producer and took on her new album, "Under Rug Swept", herself. She succeeded in creating a rock album that is enjoyable and purely Alanis.

"Hands Clean", the album's first single release, is almost "You Oughta Know" in nature: discussing the outcome a "few years later" after a harsh relationship break-up. One of the album's more musically and lyrically strong points, the single is the perfect companiion to the album itself: it is poignant, darkly amusing and very emotional.

Alanis' incredible talent with combining such odd lyrics to incredible music is once again shown beautifully. "so Unsexy" remains a gorgeously written song with a vocabulary that one would've second guessed on at first. "Narcissus" is also a great cut, combining Alanis' love for psychology with a ranting rave that reminds one of her "All I Really Want" cut from "Jagged Little Pill".

"Flinch" is one of the album's ballads -- and one of its strongpoints as well. Beautifully orchestrated with acoustic plucks and soft electric backgrounds, it sooths the listener and shows the talent of Alanis' vocals. One line, "Are you my blood? / You touch me like you are my blood", echoes eerily. "That Particular Time" is also a ballad, and remains much in essence of vocals and simple piano coordinating. A wonderful track.

Overall, Alanis has come back with an album that is what her older fans feel is "real Alanis": rock out, brutal lyrics, and that voice that is so recognizable and unheard anywhere else. "Under Rug Swept", I feel, will not be swept under at all -- we can leave "Fatuation Junky" under that rug.

This CD, besides having beautiful music, also has lyrics that are straight from the heart. The first two songs are not quite my taste, (I've only listened to the CD once, though; maybe they'll grow on me) but every other one has a beautiful sound. In my opinion, the quality of the sound improves with each song.

The lyrics, though: That's where you can see that Alanis has done more soul-searching than most people do in a lifetime. She reveals her fearlessly honest insight into human emotions and behavior with deep, personal lyrics. They speak of emotional growth and maturing into a person who is at peace and has found a healthy way to love another while being true to oneself - a process we are all continually learning to do better. If you value personal growth, this is a rare example of popular music that speaks of it. Highlights: You Owe Me Nothing in Return; Surrendering; and Utopia, especially if you like the current radio-hit Precious Illusions.

The CD is worth every penny if you like thought-provoking lyrics or even just a great sound. And of course, it will be a hit with any Alanis fan. I highly recommend it.

One thing that has surprised me about Alanis is that she has maintained her artistic integrity -- this is quite a thing to do in an era when WB/Time/AOL regularly makes hit records by profiling songs on Smallville. (ironically Swept is published by Warner! heheh)...Alanis's lyrics are easily undertood. Her syntax and phrasing are not faulty -- in fact her singing is part of a distinctly Canadian performance style. (Our Lady Peace is a good example). If you want easy listening pick up a GoGos album.

As for her stream-of-consciousness songs, this is something unique and rare. Alanis is baring her soul in the way that best fits her own personality...This album deserves five stars. Alanis broke the mold with her first album. Her newest release proves why she is the most impressive female rocker of the last decade - she has more consistency, creativity, integrity, and passion ...

After the release of Jagged Little Pill, we were all waiting for more. We wanted to hear more of her Anger and frustration..it was the burning fuel for almost the entire album. ( With exceptions for songs such as "Head Over Feet" and "You Learn). We were greeted with Supposed Former Infatutation Junkie, Which brought us such happy ballads as 'So Pure" and "Thank You" This was an incredible change in pace for Alanis, and left many people doubting WHO Alanis really was, and if the entire idea behind JLP was producer(Glen Ballards) work. They figured that the angry chick music that was written in JLP...wasnt really hers. What many people didnt know, was of Alanis's 2 year trip to India. In India..she finally got a rest from her JLP tour, and she spent time getting to know herself. She has a VERY self-actualizing trip..and finally came at peave with herself. She was ready to stop writing completly..but had a change of heart, and set out with a much more peaceful sense of lyricism.
With her new display, Under Rug Swept, Alanis demonstrates how versatile she really is. Its JLP and SFIJ all in one..and its truely an amazing album. Highlighted Tracks.
"Precious Illusions"
"Flinch"
"So Unsexy"

and of course, the first single "Hands Clean" once you understand that shes telling the story from HIS point of view..it all falls into place,and becomes a beautiful song.

The only reason I did not rate this one 5 stars, ( as I did with JLP) was the lack of rhythm she displays..Lyrically, its the best shes been at( not to mention vocabulary wise) But some of the songs lack the catchy hooks of JLP

First the obligatory statement, "This CD rocks!"

What a great disk. From the test yourself Id initiated "21 Things" track to the introspective "So Unsexy" to the exonerating "A Man", every one of them falls into the category of very good to just plain great.

Alanis has an incredible knack for producing really unique and highly listenable music. If you owned Jagged Little Pill, and found that the best songs were the ones not played on the radio, you to will find this CD to be a gem. The music is just as edgy and full and in your face. The driving guitars and thought provoking lyrics remind you that Alanis seems to be ready to take on the world.

But she has grown up some as well. No longer the angry you woman, us guy types can even find a song sympathetic to our ears. In "A Man" we are told we have taken and given a lot of garbage, but we have tried to better ourselves, and we have suceeded.

Now I must go steal the CD back from my wife who is being quite stingy about sharing it with me.