Alanis Morissette Finally Finds Rock Under The Rug...Swept

Rocker Alanis Morissette goes from being angry, to being spiritual, to being well….a rocker. In Under Rug Swept (gosh, the grammar king in me wants to call the album Under THE Rug Swept) Alanis details various emotions both hers and others to the point that it doesn’t seem that each song is all about her. When she’s not exploring her own personal anger (Jagged Little Pill) or her own spirituality (Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie), Alanis explores her musical creativity collecting together a combination of rock-hard tunes that continue to prove that she is one of the most creative, inventive, and oddly enjoyable artists out there.

The GOOD –

21 Things. Alanis shoots out of a cannon explicitly detailing exactly what are the 21 things she looks for in a lover. These are not strict requirements however, as she falters in some of her lyrics to say something along the lines of “this is what I want, but if you’re not like that, it okay, I guess.” What drives her message across – even if she’s teeters on making a firm decision – is the loud, short, hard riffs emitting from her guitar. Accompanied by her voice she sings these requirements like they come from an IRS agent during tax time – but she’s not as aggravating as the latter.

Narcissus. Any listener of Alanis’ music would probably agree with the statement that she’s a little odd and sings like she’s confused. If that’s not enough, her facial expressions while singing look like she has a constant question mark floating above her skull. In Narcissus, several layers represent Alanis thoughts. On one level in the background the music has a repeating confusing pattern, on another level there’s Alanis regular voice, and on the final level is a very apparent change in Alanis’ voice and mixing levels that repeat “why, why, why did I try to change you”. Put all three of these levels together and you get the inner thoughts of Alanis that like most thoughts come to an abrupt end.

Hands Clean. Most listeners will immediately recognize this song since it’s the one that was first released to the mass public airwaves. It is perhaps Alanis’ plainest song on the album. It is, in fact for not a better word, traditional. It sounds like just about any other Alanis song we’ve ever heard on the radio. Alanis uses her famous vocal frequencies and even uses a traditional rock chorus that normally Alanis sways away from or seems to at least.

Flinch. Alanis calms down a bit but still holds on to her “I’m a rocker playing a soft ballad”. However, Alanis’ cannot and rightfully so mask her original voice. I’ve heard a lot of power ballads in my time – and this track by Alanis is peaceful, inquisitive, relaxing, and interesting all at the same time. During the chorus she questions if the person in her thoughts is “my god, you touch me like you are my god”. Or “what are you my twin, you effect like me you are my twin”. She completes the song by proclaiming that “Soon I’ll grow up and I won’t even flinch at your name”.

So Unsexy and Precious Illusions. Are very similar utilizing Alanis’ voices amongst a rock/electronic musical space where the chorus takes more of a presence both in volume level and clarity in Alanis’ voice. These are the tracks that remind listeners of Jagged Little Pill – yet without the abundance of anger.

That Particular Time. Some say Utopia is the most beautiful track on this CD – but personally, That Particular time is Alanis at her best in terms of beauty. The track is accompanied only by a piano and Alanis’ voice is left to shine.

A Man. Has a very Asian feel to it – including not just the music but also Alanis’ vocalizations. As the track continues it builds and become more jagged and ruff. Two minutes into the track the delivery is much more in your face than how the song began.

Surrendering and Utopia. Very different, but I include them as one – because they are a perfect way to bring the album to a close. Surrendering tells a story about Alanis saluting and applauding anyone who has ever had to deal with her. Utopia tells a story of Alanis in her own Utopia as she floats around on a cloud with a lover. In one track she makes apologizes for her behavior and in the other she makes no apologizes since she is in her own utopia.

The BAD –

You Owe me Nothing In Return. I hate to say that this is a BAD track – it just didn’t posses any creativity for me at this point in the CD. Pieces that make up this track have already been heard in previous tracks so in a way it sounds like “every other track on this CD.”

Short and Sweet. Under Rug Swept comes across the finish line with only 11 tracks with each track lasting no more than around 4 to 5 minutes. After Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie which finished with a whopping 17 tracks – some of which took well over 7 minutes to complete – Under Rug Swept ends too soon and endues the feeling that we were perhaps cheated out of some of our hard earned money. We all know that it’s more than possible to put more tracks on the CD – and we know that there were probably a few songs that were completely finished yet left out for reasons we may learn at a latter date on some VH1 documentary. Whatever the reason, Under Rug Swept is short, simple, to the point, but would of benefited from the addition of a few more tracks.

The SPECIAL FEATURES –

Under Rug Swept is an ECD. Place the album into your computer and you’ll be greeted by some extra features from Alanis. Unfortunately I have not explored these passages – mainly because most if not all of them require a connection to the Internet something that I do not have from home. (Why am I in the dark ages, blame it on Pac Bell!).

The BOTTOM LINE –

I am perhaps a biased reviewer since I have loved just about everything Alanis has ever done. In my book she is one of the most if not THE most creative artist out there. Her music is original and her sound, sounds just like Alanis. It is not possible to confuse her with any other artist out there – and to prove her abilities she comes with complex lyrics and vocal tones that constantly challenge her and challenge us to enjoy them. It would seem that Alanis would be a failure. Her tracks are not very danceable. They are semi-enjoyable while driving down the road but nothing really sticks out while you are weaving in and out of traffic. There is romance, but at the same time there is also pain. Her lyrics deserve and demand a listener to pay close attention, so she doesn’t make for very good background music. She is, a writer, a singer, and an artist that requires you to pay attention – something which music since the advent of boy-bands and Britney Spears – has gone awry. Today, we pay more attention to the artist (thanks Madonna! – even if you signed on Morissette) than we do to the music. Alanis, however, smacks us all in the face and forces us all to pay attention. And she does it for reasons writers will continue to explore for years to come.