2008 Woodie Awards
Alanis Morissette intertwines with Flavors of Entanglement
Ashley Inguanta
Issue date: 6/19/08 Section: Variety
This song's instrumental ending is a tornado of orchestral strings and drums, and it's this lack-of lyrics that symbolize freedom from relationship ties, in this case the literal relationship between lyrics and music.
After Morissette "declares a moratorium," she reflects on the relationship she let go of in "Torch," one of the few slower songs on Flavors. But unlike her Jagged Little Pill days, she is not angry toward her previous lover - she genuinely respects the love they shared, and she will have to "lay down [her] torch" and peacefully move on from her previous entanglement. The most heartfelt part of this song is when she sings, "I miss your warmth and the thought of us bringing up our kids." However, Morissette does not associate expressing this emotion with weakness, as she sings, "These are not times for the weak of heart."
"Giggling Again for No Reason" describes the strange form of impulsive laughter that seemingly has no source. The up-tempo beats paired with the light quality of Morissette's voice mirrors this song's subject-matter: having no ties and enjoying the freedom in nothingness. Sigsworth's influence is most apparent on this track, which has a floating Frou Frou ambience.
Morissette ironically (yes, pun intended) closes her album with "Incomplete," sending a message of hope to listeners. "One day my mind will retreat, and I'll know God, and I'll be constantly one with her night, dusk and day," she sings.
In terms of spirituality, which is apparent on all of her albums, especially Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, Morissette feels like God can be found through art. In her Web site interview, she said, "Any time I expose myself to beauty through a painting, a piece of music, a magnificent natural landscape, a photo I've taken, or beautiful colors - I'm with God. Art and God are synonymous to me."
Also in "Incomplete," Morissette accepts the fact that completion is unattainable for humans, but she can, and will, find peace in her perpetually unfinished state.
These are "songs written for me," Morissette said in a message to her listeners on her Web site, "to get it all out so that I don't get sick … to distill, clarify, flesh out, catapult … the act of sharing it publicly done in the spirit of invitation … the invitation to feel less shame, more allowance, more neutrality, validation, comfort, the knowledge that you are never alone."
After Morissette "declares a moratorium," she reflects on the relationship she let go of in "Torch," one of the few slower songs on Flavors. But unlike her Jagged Little Pill days, she is not angry toward her previous lover - she genuinely respects the love they shared, and she will have to "lay down [her] torch" and peacefully move on from her previous entanglement. The most heartfelt part of this song is when she sings, "I miss your warmth and the thought of us bringing up our kids." However, Morissette does not associate expressing this emotion with weakness, as she sings, "These are not times for the weak of heart."
"Giggling Again for No Reason" describes the strange form of impulsive laughter that seemingly has no source. The up-tempo beats paired with the light quality of Morissette's voice mirrors this song's subject-matter: having no ties and enjoying the freedom in nothingness. Sigsworth's influence is most apparent on this track, which has a floating Frou Frou ambience.
Morissette ironically (yes, pun intended) closes her album with "Incomplete," sending a message of hope to listeners. "One day my mind will retreat, and I'll know God, and I'll be constantly one with her night, dusk and day," she sings.
In terms of spirituality, which is apparent on all of her albums, especially Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, Morissette feels like God can be found through art. In her Web site interview, she said, "Any time I expose myself to beauty through a painting, a piece of music, a magnificent natural landscape, a photo I've taken, or beautiful colors - I'm with God. Art and God are synonymous to me."
Also in "Incomplete," Morissette accepts the fact that completion is unattainable for humans, but she can, and will, find peace in her perpetually unfinished state.
These are "songs written for me," Morissette said in a message to her listeners on her Web site, "to get it all out so that I don't get sick … to distill, clarify, flesh out, catapult … the act of sharing it publicly done in the spirit of invitation … the invitation to feel less shame, more allowance, more neutrality, validation, comfort, the knowledge that you are never alone."