Alanis Morissette - Havoc & Bright Lights

It's no secret that I am an enormous Alanis Morissette fan. My relationship with her music, yes I'm pretentious enough to call it that, has strode on for 11 years since I first picked up her debut Jagged Little Pill after hearing 'Ironic' on TV, as mum did her ironing and cursed her creases. Since then there have been 6 unique studio albums, an acoustic recording of her debut and numerous other musical expeditions.

Alanis has never been one to follow a trend, not conventionally anyway. When the GaGa electro-pop fad was taking hold back in 2008, she released Flavours of Entanglement which took pop synths and thrust them into the most unreachable place she could find. This was and remains one of my favourite albums, with brilliant songs like the heady roaring electro rock anthem 'Versions of Violence', beautiful ballad 'Not As We' and the classically Alanis sounding 'Underneath'. This was a huge step forward from the disappointing So-Called Chaos which just didn't hold the same bite her past albums. That's not to say it didn't have any decent songs on it: 'Everything' and 'Eight Easy Steps' are both great. 

What people have been waiting for is an album that is just as emotional, quirky and full of bite as JLP. Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie was brimming with edge and stroppy charm and Under Rug Swept was blessed with some stunning moments ('Hands Clean' & '21 Things'), but neither managed to meet the iconic sound of their mother album. Who wouldn't want a 21st Century 'All I Really Want'? A fucking idiot that's who.

Now it's 2012 and we're presented with Havoc & Bright Lights. An album that is preceded by lead single 'Guardian', a typically Alanis sounding rock song about her baby. It's not as cheesy as it sounds, in fact it's one of her best songs to date, with her predictably powerful vocals and standard quirky lyricism draped over an infectious guitar riff. Following from this, 'Woman Down' acts as a 2012 version of the epic 'Sister Blister', only this kicks off with squiffy beeping synths which lead into a girl power rock anthem chorus: 'Calling all woman haters/we've lowered the bar on the/behaviour that we will take/come on now'. 'Til You' is an ethereal ballad with a heavenly echo in its chorus, not quite 'Not As We' but close. 

The dark tones of her last album are continued on 'Celebrity' and 'Numb'. The former isn't as divine as it could be, but it's got one of those choruses that just whips you off your feet. In the grand scheme of things though, it's not even in the running for best album track and it's tough to get a handle on what she's saying. The latter is more epic, more dark, more riffy and just much better. She lightens things up with 'Empathy' and 'Receive', the former one of the album's highlights, and 'Lens' which sounds like a track fit for a 21st Century JLP.

Unfortunately there are some weaker moments. 'Win & Win' and 'Havoc' aren't the most inspiring songs, mainly because they're so damn hard to get into. W&W has had 6 plays and I still can't find the hook. Thankfully album closer 'Edge of Evolution' improves things but even this isn't strong enough to wrap things up in optimum style. 

Alanis's music has always reflected her own life, experiences and emotions. JLP was an angsty record, burgeoning with fire, sadness, themes of loss and desperation and rage. The album's success is down to its ability to speak to anyone who listens to it, regardless of their age or personality. As time has gone on and Alanis has grown up, so has her music. The themes have gone from those mentioned above, to love and separation, world peace and motherhood. This isn't a bad thing, it's just a lot harder to relate to every song when you haven't experienced those events yourself and probably never will. However, Alanis will continue to develop songs that are so lyrically intricate and dynamic that our interpretations are somewhat open. 

Havoc & Bright Lights doesn't match its ancestor record, not even by world's length, but it does prove that this artist isn't going anywhere, anytime soon. If she wants to share her life with us through some stunningly crafted music, then who are we to argue? I just hope next time I can give it a better rating.

3/5

Download: Guardian, Woman Down, Lens, Empathy

Rated Alanis.

After a 6 day working week I am finally reconstituting my self. Post 10 hour non-stop sleepathon, I arose with an urge (cheeky) to listen to some Alanis Morissette. I love this woman. I've been interested in her music for about 6 years now and I can't name one track she's recorded which doesn't please me in some way. Hence I am about to give you the low down on 10 succulent morsels of Morissette to sink your pearly whites into. Yum.

The 10 ESSENTIAL Morissette tracks - by me, an obsessive.

1] 'Ironic' from Jagged Little Pill - Right so this song was about as predictable as a hooker in Harlem. However, it is one of the ultimate songs of this feminist rock powerhouse. It may not actually be ironic (maybe that's the point?) but it has one of the most memorable choruses of any song I've ever encountered. Seeing her perform this live was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. It's her most successful single and remains the song which will see her remembered through the ages to come. Amazing.

2] '21 Things I Want In a Lover' from Under Rug Swept - "Do you have a big intellectual capacity? Do you see everything as an illusion? Are you both masculine and feminine?" Alanis lists, you guessed it, 21 things she wants in a lover. The song is the most rocky from this album which sees her sounds relax to an extent, moving away from the bitter undertones of her debut and Supposed Infatuation Junkie. It's one of my favourites simply because it's completely relatable. Anyone who hears this will identify one 'thing' they agree with ol' Alanis on. Definitely in my top 10 songs of all time. LOVE.

3] 'Incomplete' from Flavours of Entanglement - From her newest collection of songs, 'Incomplete' sees Alanis reflect on the wants of youth and the subsequent loss of these wants that come with age. She sings about missing the feeling of being incomplete and the desire for constant change that she felt as a youngster. It's quite bouncy for an Alanis song and the melody takes the edge off what would other wise have been interpretable as a fairly negative song.

4] 'Versions of Violence' from Flavours of Entanglement - I don't have a reason for putting this here other than the fact that I love how it sounds. It's so dark and brash, and to boot it has a killer chorus build up and huge hook. Definitely one of my favourites of the latest album.

5] 'Joining You' from Supposed Infatuation Junkie - Only recently coming across this track (because I didn't listen to Supposed in its entirety for years) I regret not having noticed it before. It's about suicide and it's wonderful. You might not agree before hearing it, but it is amazing. Trust me. SO catchy.

6] 'Thank U' from Supposed Infatuation Junkie - A classic. I needn't say anything else about it.

7] 'Forgiven' from Jagged Little Pill - It's about faith and about WHY we bother having it? Alanis says it's because we need faith. She gave up her faith but found it again, can she be forgiven for her misdemeanours? I'm not a man of God, not at all, but this song is my favourite Alanis song. I love the way she talks about the manipulative nature of the Church and organised religion. It's superb. Listen to it, now!

8] 'Mary Jane'  from Jagged Little Pill - "What's the matter Mary Jane? Had a hard day? Place the don't disturb sign on the door." Alanis addresses a friend (I think) and her apparent depression. Mary Jane has been pandering too much to the needs of others and neglecting herself. Leave to Alanis to sing her into motivation. The song is beautiful, melodic and has a lot of emotion packed into it. It's a keeper.

9] 'Sister Blister' from Feast on Scraps -  A song about female unity against men, by Alanis Morissette? Never. This metal fused ballad about the way women fall over themselves to gain male acceptance, at the cost of bonds with their 'sisters' is effective, memorable and packs one big punch in the throat. 

10] 'You Oughta Know' from Jagged Little Pill - It had to appear somewhere, but I thought leaving it till last would be more effective. It's recently been covered by Britney Spears on her Circus tour and more notably by Beyonce who spliced it with 'If I Were a Boy' for her tour and her grammy performance. It's one of angriest, most memorable songs Alanis has ever written and it's the most globally applicable songs out there. Anyone can identify with this (from a certain age) and it is undeniably one of the greatest songs ever recorded (argued by me of course). From a fantastic album, a fantastic revenge song.