Little Plastic Castle

Ani DiFranco

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 17, 1998)
• Original Release Date: February 17, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Righteous Babe
• ASIN: B0000058MY
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (104 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #28,706 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #18 in	Music > Indie Music > Alternative Rock > Singer Songwriters
  #21 in	Music > Indie Music > Folk > Contemporary Folk
  #31 in	Music > Alternative Rock > New Wave & Post-Punk > Urban Folk

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
As she's gone from the Young Woman Who Could to the Woman Who Has, Ani DiFranco has explored more than her share of musical styles, all the while remaining true to her core. Even during her most extreme departures, you could hear the sound of the early albums coming through. On Little Plastic Castle, an album on which people are credited for adding pontifications, incantations, and an "evil machine" to songs, you could--for the first time--hear an almost completely new artist. Call her Ani, version 3; she couldn't have existed without hearing all of Ani, version 1's albums, and she wouldn't be as funky and experimental without the influence of Ani, version 2. She still has a lot to say--about politics, about relationships, about herself--but the messages aren't thrown in your face here (well, not as often). Instead they're wrapped in funky hooks and lots of production--anything you learn from DiFranco on this album will come from pure repetition, and for the first time, the album is varied enough, catchy enough, and subtle enough that you'll push the repeat button while cleaning the house. --Randy Silver

People
[Ani DiFranco's] latest ... is a gem that is at once funny, moody, meditative and challenging. Full of DiFranco's pet peeves and ironic musings ... the album will make listeners laugh, think and tap their feet.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Here comes little naked me..., November 5, 2001

By	S. Calhoun "rhymeswithorange" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Not a day goes by when I don't need a fix of Ani and this is the CD I reach for the most. Little Plastic Castle keeps me wanting more. Just when I think I should be getting tired of it I find myself putting it in my CD player again. It is addictive.

My favorite song is 'Two Little Girls' which is a touching love story which I can personally relate to. 'Gravel' and 'Glass House' are good hard folk songs that effectively offsets the beautiful 'As Is'. 'Pixie' is wonderful both for the music and for the simple fact that virtually everyone can relate to disgruntled workers behind the counter, "so just suck up and be nice". How perfect is that!?!? The CD ends with 'Pulse' and the expanded beat that puts you in a whole different world. I think the one weakness of this CD is 'Deep Dish' that doesn't flow with the other tracks.

Regardless of what other Ani fans say, I enjoy her recent work and believe there is much to gain from it. Give it a try, you may find yourself repeatedly reaching for it too!

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun, thoughtful, serious, and eye-opening album!!!, July 31, 2004

By	David Johnson (Mill Creek, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Background info before writing this review will probly help Ani fans reading it. I'm not an Ani fan in the sense of agreeing with all her messages and supporting the things she does. I am a fan, however, who admires her outspoken honesty. She knows exactly what she feels, thinks, and believes and isn't one bit afraid to put it out there & in your face. That takes guts, more power to her. This world we live in (especially this country, USA) could greatly benefit from exercising her unapologetic frankness.

This was the first album I got by Ani, and I have to say my favorite to date. Personally, I'm an eclectic & enjoy ALL music (I tend to stay mainstream [not Britney Spears-type, though], but enjoy many types of music). When I first heard Miss DiFranco, I was really quite turned off by her sound. A friend of mine had been playing her music in the car on our trips & activities, and I almost couldn't stomach it. She played Revelling/Reckoning, To The Teeth, Evolve, and probably Dilate. I just remember thinking "What is this???" Ani has a musical style all her own, very raw and real. I suppose my ears were just so used to sugar-sweet candy pop that I was somewhat disgusted. But even 'alternative' rock like death metal & all that don't have anything on her; she's got something that so many other artists, whether or not I like them, don't have.

Anyway, back to the task at hand: reviewing "Little Plastic Castle." I'm pretty sure the reason I like it so much is it is probably one of the more musically melodic albums she has out. What I mean is someone who is used to pop and things like that would probably do well to buy this CD as their first Ani album because it's closest to what they know. It's very effective in that way because it tunes the pop listner in by using sounds they can handle while presenting very deep messages and opinions that aren't so popular like the sound they are carried by.

Listening to number 1, the title track, really made me step back and think how boring things can get as far as the music industry and TV, etc. Some lyrics from that song are: "In a coffe shop / in a city / which is every coffe shop / in every city / on a day which is every day / I pick up a magazine / which is every magazine / read a story and forget it right away" She has a very good point here about how the media (TV, radio, movies, newspapers, magazines, etc) train us to know what is 'normal,' and keep spoonfeeding us those stereotypes.

The lyrics to song 2, "Fuel," are hard-hitting & heavy. They talk about racism (slavery), politics, and many other things. It's a very good song to sit & ponder because at the end of it she sums all of her scenarios up by describing them each one as "a fire just waiting for fuel." One of my favorites!

Track 5 is good, "Two Little Girls." It's sad and dark but it's a good listen, it compells me all the way through each time.

I reccomend this CD highly because it helped me break out of the pop mindset, even though I was eclectic I never really understood how narrowminded I was musically (as well as politically, etc). Go for it! Do your best swan dive into the bold, bold world of Ani DiFranco.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars really spiffy album -- worth your money!!, July 31, 1999

By A Customer

Ani is an incredible artist -- her lyrics are astounding, her sound unique -- truly a revolutionary artist in this day and age, especially when people succumb to the capitalistic industry and buy hanson, backstreet boys, and the like...Ani is just so unique, and refuses to be labeled and goes with whatever comes creatively in her life, which means it always changes...and I love the fact that she's got the ambition to have her own label.

For Ani fans, [shame on you if you haven't gotten it yet ;) ] this will be a very different experience from her earlier days. The sounds are more "modern" -- more than just her guitar and beautiful voice. For newcomers to her music; this is a great album, but not indicative of most of her earlier music. If you want to hear the folk, get "Puddle Dive" or the first album. All of her albums are amazing in their own ways.

Overall, a great album, although her sounds get a tad repetitive for the --very selective listener.-- I like it a lot -- and I was satisifed paying full price for it. Get it -- you won't be dissapointed -- Ani is truly a gem.