Ani Difranco - Knuckle Down
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Free Music Notes for Knuckle Down
Free Music Review: She came home and her guitar had something to say to me
Hit: 5 Stars
With Knuckle Down, Ani has completely won me back. As for the songs themselves... wow. For me, this is her single best collection of new songs on one disc since before the turn of the century... by far. It's one of her best albums, period. Also, along with maybe the first couple albums, this is the best sounding album Ani has ever made. I couldn't figure out how she managed to make some of the recent albums so dry and lifeless. Knuckle Down is the exact opposite. Warm, rich, natural and full sounding.
Where some of her other recent stuff seemed to be looking outward, and bordering on preachy at times, Knuckle Down is sometimes stark and introspective though each song is its own galaxy. This isn't an album where all the songs sound rather alike. At times it makes me nervous for her, though. This album largely paints a picture of a person who is very much alone right now. There are a few lines throughout this album that truly make me hope she is okay. "But there's no me left for me, no incidental time of day. No wild adventures except in darkness, so dark I'd rather not say." Maybe it's just me, but that line and the mood of the song to which it belongs (Minerva) always makes me think of the personal life of Jerry Garcia in the darkest years of his life. I hope Ani isn't going down that road.
Knuckle Down has everything I could want from one of her albums. Lyrics that will tear your heart out and lyrics that will leave you sitting there in the darkness of your own stunned silence. Parameters for instance is her most haunting spoken-word piece thus far. This disc also has quite a few instances of Ani's best, most emotional singing on record, in my opinion. Puddle Dive is one of my favorite Ani albums but if you don't like her vocal style of that era, this is an album for you.
I've listened to this album more than any other Ani album of the past decade because I can't stop. Studying Stones, Sunday Morning and Recoil are 3 of her best songs of all time. There are great things throughout her albums. Even great songs on some of her worst albums. Knuckle Down though... something special happened here. It all came together. There are no "Oh this one has some great one-liners but the overall song is unengaging". Or "This one has potential in concert, at least". No, it all came together here. Not only are the songs and sound excellent but this band (quartet or larger, for my purposes here) is her finest ever. For as much as I disliked the ever-growing, trite funk-lite band of recent years, Ani put together her perfect band for this album. Secondary to Ani herself, Todd Sickafoose (bass) is the emotional star of this album. How great it must be to spend part of your time creating and playing perfect basslines on songs as fantastic as these, and a chunk of the rest of your time playing with Nels Cline.
It's hard to think that Ani would seem to be in a tough (or at least very lonely) spot in terms of her personal life but if that's the case she certainly morphed her internal struggles into one of her best albums. She even has a lyric contained herein that would seem to illustrate that she's conscious of the fact that maybe emotional pain is her greatest catalyst.
Free Music Review: As Ani knuckles down, she mellows out..
Hit: 5 Stars
Thirty-three year-old Ani will never be the exact same Ani as the nineteen-year-old Ani that met the other half of the "Two Little Girls" on the train in NYC. At the point in time when she has released Knuckle Down, she is reminiscing about her divorce - life can indeed be hard throughout the years, never letting up. Although this album is nowhere near the more hard-rock-punk grit of albums like the Living in Clip live album or So Much Shouting, So Much Laughter, as raw as Dilate or Not a Pretty Girl, or as unfinished and folky as early Ani of Puddle Dive or Imperfectly, the Ani of Knuckle Down is more refined, finished, and reflective.
The title song is probably the most reminiscent of earlier albums, with the faster tempo and almost rapped-out verses. It sums up the album in a sense - that life was going to be different for her despite her stardom - "I know that I was warned, still it was not what I hoped" - and the motif of "Knuckle Down" may seem similar to those who know and love Little Plastic Castle's "Pixie" - "I gotta knuckledown, be OK with this".
"Studying Stones" and "Paradigm" are reflective of life among family, the first brush with the ups and downs of life. "Studying Stones" has a more melancholy melody to it with a bluesy twang, while "Paradigm" edges ever-so-slightly into the familiar politics Ani of which Ani has always sung.
"Manhole" is a sarcastic look at lost love and getting over someone (trust me, it helped me get through my own breakup!) and has a good rock beat and excellent chorus. This is probably my favorite song on this album. The sad "Sunday Morning" follows the breakup theme, notably right after the sarcastic tone "Manhole", and seems a tribute to the domestic happiness of her marriage, culminating in the most poignant line, "still it's Sumday morning I miss you the most", purposefully standing out as the instruments wind down.
As many others on this review noted, "Seeing Eye Dog", on its own, as an Ani song, is pretty godawful, which I guess is in keeping with the loser of a guy she compares to a dog in the song, with stories that "fall from you lips, with just enough slobber so it sparkles and drips". I don't think I ever want to hear Ani sing "slobber" in that way ever again either. The song definitely does not belong on this album!
"Modulation" and "Lag Time" are pretty good and relatively upbeat, with the same poetic lyricism Ani is known for. "Parameters" is of course the requisite poetic interlude Ani includes on most of her albums, and is haunting and well-presented as a bit of a warning horror story. The "dark and stormy night" is represented in the tones behind Ani's voice as it winds up stairs and into her room right up to the intruder "sitting there, sitting in what must be the prized chair in your collection of uncomfortable chairs".
In all, the album is more reflective than anything, if not a bit resigned to the difficult changes of life. Ani has definitely mellowed out as time has gone on, and even seeing her live now may be a very different experience than seeing her live ten years ago.
Best wishes to her as an expecting mother, too!
Free Music Review: Accomplishing her latest phase...
Hit: 5 Stars
Ani has had a career that has been made up of changing things around just after she's hooked people.
When Dilate hit it was met with a great deal of scepticism. People thought she was selling out. At that point people cared more about what she thought than how she felt. Ani followers knew her as a punk-folk goddess, and they liked it that way.
She soon gained many of her old fans back when they realized how amazing the following few albums would be. She was getting more comfortable in a recording studio and she had taken on a bit of a funk-folk feel. She gained many new fans in this period of evolution between Dilate and the To the Teeth (which, in my personal opinion, is still her finest album). At the start of this phase she was just beginning to learn how to display her feelings in a way that no one could tell her to get back to the politics, by the end she had mastered her the art.
After this she changed again. She went from albums that were difficult emotionally, but easy to listen to...to albums that became increasingly difficult to listen to. Her skill level was getting better, but her voice and musical presence mellowed quite a bit with Reckoning and Revelling. This double album led us into what would be Ani's new voice. The first disc plays very much like LPC or TTT, but the second plays slowly.
The second disc is the beginning of her latest era. It unwinds with caution. She is slower to make her points, surer that people would listen. The problem is, many of us didn't listen.
We whined and moaned that we wanted the old Ani back. We've had discussions about the fact that we hadn't been able to get into an Ani album lately. Even though she blatantly titled one of her albums "Evolve"...it never really got through to us, did it?
Many Ani fans tried to like Evolve and Educated Guess...and we found certain gems on both of them...but overall we were waiting for Ani to process things and move on. I think the problem was that fans weren't convinced that she was having any fun with her music.
Well, with this album Ani has opened herself up to both her emotions AND her fans. She has been making emotional albums for years now...and she's figuring out how to make people love them. She gets angry, and sad and sentimental on this album. She is focused on her own history...sometimes almost channelling Utah. If you have missed the old Ani and have wanted an album that made you excited...this may be that album.
Thank you Ani. We love everything you do, but we don't always like it. This is an album we'll both love and like.
Free Music Review: The Fine Ani As Always
Hit: 5 Stars
Over the last fifteen years, the politically outspoken Ani DiFranco has made a name for herself as a fiercely independant artist. She's created a large cult audience that have followed her every move. Through everything, she's received rave reviews for her music including a Grammy award (2003's "Evolve"). Her poetry and her melodies have always stood beyond the test of time despite little radio airplay. This folk-rock artist has often experimented with other genres with her signature sound: punk, funk, jazz, blues, and others. She's never recorded anything below her top potential. Therefore, she's maintained the respect as an artist and as a person. This has influenced many artists who have come after her (Pink, Dar Williams).
In 2005, she changed some traditions with her album "Knuckles Down". Surprisingly, she hired a producer, Joe Henry, to assist in her music. This collaboration resulted in a more folk-pop sound with quality that continues her run as a phenomenal artist. This album shows a more mellow side of Ani. Yet, she never loses her signature musical edge. The melodies and the rhythms flow greatly through the instruments, namely her guitar. The various instrumental line-up keeps this album interesting; yet, the album flows smoothly. Her poetry continues expressing her deep thoughts. This album expresses more of her recent personal turbulances in a less outspoken fashion. Despite, her artistic stance never loses itself. Such quality shows great artistic evolution that makes this album shine.
This allows her performances to remain expressive. As always, her musical talents give her music the heart and soul it deserves. Her performances show her poetic side greatly. Her expressed sadness never loses its emotion. This album shows a more mature side that has never been heard previously. Her passion leaves listeners in a trance. In every song, she slides her listeners to a deeper sense of her theme. Her indistinguishable performances leave a longlasting impact on everybody. All her songs stand out in the modern folk industry.
Through the dying mainstream music, Ani DiFranco always prevails. Her music defines true music. "Knuckle Down" is no exception. This album is a great escape from the often-selling-out mainstream music heard too often on the radio. She has never sold out. She remains true to herself and everyone else. Therefore, this album is sure to please new and old fans.
***Expect Ani DiFranco to receive at least two 2005 Grammy nominations: Best Contemporary Folk Album and Best Recording Package.
Free Music Review: A Truly Stunning Album!!!
Hit: 5 Stars
I was highly anticipating this release from Ani, because it's just been within this last year that I've become a fan, and I have all of her albums and the EP's too...so I was ready to see where she was headed next.
I am just so blown away by this CD! The fact that she invited other artists to co-produce & play is NOT one you should fear, she (of course) managed to maintain the qualities we all know and love that make her Ani.
The strings and the stand up bass are just gorgeous. The only way I can describe it is like a delicious wine! It's so smooth and sensual, so rich & so relaxing! I know it was dumb to compare it to a beverage...lol, but I couldn't think of another way to say it. The strings and bass are especially beautiful on "Studying Stones," "Sunday Morning," and "Recoil."
The poem "Parameters" is so chilling! I read the lyrics on her site before it was released, and I thought it would prepare me for it. Nope! When I listened to it the first time at home, it was just fine. But then I was listening in my car at night on the back way home and it was just CREEPY! She is such a wonderful story teller, such an effective poet.
As far as the content goes...I know there's gonna be some people who are angry that this isn't an overtly political project. Well, I absolutely love it despite whatever messages it has in it! Besides, Ani says she's writing political songs for her upcoming tours. But personally, I think that some of Ani's best stuff is when she's dealing with relationships; she knows how to say it like it is, without any qualms whatsoever, in a way that, while sometimes shocking, is never arrogant or rude. She just lays it out like she sees it, honestly. But if you think about it, such a big part of who Ani is is politics, that there will never be an absence of those type of subjects in her songs. Some you just have to look harder to find.
I would without a doubt say that this album is one of her best (although EVERY CD is awesome). This one stands out to me as one that I'd use to get my friends into Ani.
If you're hesitating to buy this because you weren't into Evolve or Educated Guess, DON'T HESITATE! It's nothing like them (well, the first song kind of picks up where Educated Guess left off if you ask me). It is a whole new sound for Ani, one that suits her very well. The added instrumentation only complements her already stunning style and sound! BUY IT!