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Post by Modern Method. on Mar 10, 2009 12:53:54 GMT -5
The track list is: 1. ‘Give’ 2. ‘Welcome to England’ 3. ‘Strong Black Vine’ 4. ‘Flavor’ 5. ‘Not Dying Today’ 6. ‘Maybe California’ 7. ‘Curtain Call’ 8. ‘Fire to Your Plain’ 9. ‘Police Me’ 10. ‘That Guy’ 11. ‘Abnormally Attracted to Sin’ 12. ’500 Miles’ 13. ‘Mary Jane’ 14. ‘Starling’ 15. ‘Fast Horse’ 16. ‘Ophelia’ 17. ‘Lady in Blue’
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Post by Modern Method. on Mar 10, 2009 12:54:59 GMT -5
Tori Amos Reveals Sinful Cover Art, Tracklisting Tori Amos is in a good mood when she phones Spinner from her Cornwall, England studio. She owes her glee, in part, to a white chocolate chip cookie, which she informs us her 8-year-old daughter, Natashya, baked for her. “Husband didn’t marry me for my baking,” she laughs. It’s just weeks away from Amos’ scheduled performance at SXSW, where she’ll unveil new tunes from her tenth studio album, ‘Abnormally Attracted to Sin,’ due May 19. In addition to debuting the album cover and tracklist with Spinner, Amos discussed her new work, how to divvy up the Democrats and Republicans, and what she considers to be the greatest sin of all. What was the impetus behind this new collection? I’m drawn to questioning what traditional authorities have defined sin to be. As a minister’s daughter, I’ve been exposed to the traditional belief system. [Sin] has been used to shame and control people. If you’re controlled by a religious structure, then you’re going to have a very different outlook on life and what you’re open to than if you’re not controlled by these old, crumbling concepts. The new album, ‘Abnormally Attracted to Sin,’ takes its name from a line in ‘Guys and Dolls,’ said by the character Sarah Brown. Do you feel a kinship with her in any way? No, because I’m not torn by my religious beliefs. A lot of the problems we have right now in our world are because of intolerance dictated by the big religions. Do you feel it’s your duty or obligation to expose these truths in your work? I find that right now, in this turbulent time where there’s so much strife all around the world, there is an opportunity for religions to open their doors and their hearts — to become compassionate for someone else’s beliefs instead of intolerant. That’s always really disappointed me about people who talk about being religious, and yet they’re the most judgemental, usually. Right now, we’re at war, and I wrote quite a lot of this album while I was on tour last time. I traveled the world, I played in Israel, I traveled through countries where the major religions exist — and the one thing that I started to do more than ever was to really ask questions about “What do I believe in?” Traveling and seeing how women see themselves in different cultures … how the community thinks of them becomes so important for some of them, more than how than how they even feel about themselves. And some of them are dying — they’re dying in their lives. You might be approved of in your community, but your heart is completely breaking. And I don’t find that a tolerant society — that is not the compassionate Christ path to me. I began to see that kindness and tolerance were not found in institutions, but found in individuals who seemed to be breaking away from the old patriarchal viewpoint. Did you have a similar experience growing up in a Christian household? I was brought up in a home that was … we were brought up in the Christian doctrine, and that’s just what it was. We believed in it, and I think the question is: What is that doctrine? Because it’s not about the open heart. Maybe it takes times like we have right now, times of so much upheaval, where you allow yourself to really find out what it is that you feel about something. My daughter has all kinds of questions all the time, and if she were brought up in a less tolerant household, she would be broken, no question about it. But she has a grandfather who was a Methodist minister and she has a part of her family who are very much practicing Christians, yet she loves them. But she is not interested if they agree with what she thinks because she is allowed to believe in what she wants. One of the current arguments at large in America is whether or not gays should have the right to marry. Religion is often used in the argument against gay marriage. Why do you think that union is so threatening? We go back to that word — intolerance. That, to me, isn’t what America ever was. It wasn’t about telling another person how to live their life. I always said in a perfect world, you keep the Democrats out of your bank account and the Republicans out of your bedroom. But in life, why do you have to have anybody else in your bedroom if you’re a consenting adult? That is the need people have right now, it seems, to dictate to another person how they should live there life. I find that the greatest sin of all. The record explores all kinds of feelings and depending on your state of mind, your set of circumstances could result in a very different outcome. What can you tell me about the visuals that will be accompanying each of the songs on this album? I’m calling them “vignettes” because it’s more akin to a mini-film. This all started on tour last time, when we were filming the live shows. The director was putting together montages, and as I saw the montages, new music was already coming. I started to put the new music to the mini-films that were being made out on the road. When I travel I get all kinds of ideas. I’m forced to see things that I wouldn’t and question. When you asked me about ‘Guys and Dolls,’ I guess I was never a Bible-thumping Christian; I was always trying to question because I had so much religion in my upbringing. I was drawn to those people and those ideas that weren’t accepted necessarily, and it’s not because these ideas in reality are “evil” — that’s just the perception that’s being given. The reality I was brought up in was, “Anything that doesn’t work within the Christian doctrine is sinful.” And that’s a lot of stuff. www.spinner.com
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Post by Modern Method. on Mar 10, 2009 19:44:11 GMT -5
Everything Tori has gotten into the album news act with a press release-ish post confirming the May 19th release date, indicating the personnel involved in the album’s making (the usual cast of characters) and providing some additional details about the mysterious “visualettes.” According to ET, the “interlocking episodic films [that] bring to life the narrative arc of the album” will be available in a companion DVD included in the deluxe edition of the album. www.undented.com/10,000th POST!
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Post by stef19 on Mar 10, 2009 20:43:31 GMT -5
congrats on your 10,000th post and thanks for posting all this great Tori Amos news, btw she looks great on that album cover
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Post by Modern Method. on Mar 10, 2009 22:08:29 GMT -5
I know, right? I think I deserve a spank for all that up to date news.
I like the cover. Very demure shot. I'd say the inside artwork will explore and explain it more.
Does the necklace she wears on the cover remind anyone else of the necklace she wears on the 'Crucify' EP cover? That's what I thought it was at first and she was tying her first album in with her new gained freedom and that she's working with the strings guy from the first album on this one.
But no, I jumped to a conclusion.
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Post by stef19 on Mar 11, 2009 13:11:54 GMT -5
You know what Andy you're right you deserve a couple of spanks for doing such a great job updating posts. mmmm....Yeah I don't know about all that stuff you said about her necklace, maybe she just likes that style...but good analysis and attention to detail!
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Post by Modern Method. on Mar 13, 2009 4:29:40 GMT -5
You know what Andy you're right you deserve a couple of spanks for doing such a great job updating posts. Thanks for that! I feel loved.
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Post by Modern Method. on Mar 13, 2009 12:29:57 GMT -5
Our friends at Spinner.com are doing another interview with Tori and this time they want you, the fans, to ask the questions. A whole interview with questions entirely by Toriphiles! Cool, hunh? They’ve asked us to collect questions from our readers. If you have something you want to ask Tori, head to our comments form, select the subject “I Want To Ask Tori…,” type in your fantabulous question (or questions), and end with your full name and location. The most interesting questions will be chosen for the interview, so put on your thinking caps and make ‘em good! The deadline for getting questions in to Undented is 1:00pm PST on Sunday, March 15th. [NOTE: Again, be sure to include your full name and LOCATION. Our contact form doesn’t have a field for location because normally it isn’t relevant, but we need it for this. Only a few submitters have remembered to add it. Putting it behind your name in the “Name” field is fine.] www.undented.com/
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Post by Modern Method. on Mar 13, 2009 17:44:39 GMT -5
Tori’s official website, her official MySpace page and her official Facebook page all got updated yesterday with a brandnew ‘Abnormally Attracted To Sin’ look.
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Post by pb on Mar 17, 2009 18:10:31 GMT -5
'Welcome to England' leaked, its pretty good(: I don't want to get my expectations up, but Its miles better than Big Wheel, or SWB.
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Post by stef19 on Mar 17, 2009 21:11:31 GMT -5
yeah I just downloaded it, I think it's pretty good too...it makes me excited to hear the rest of the album
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Post by Modern Method. on Mar 18, 2009 11:04:18 GMT -5
In a new entry on his MySpace page, John Philip Shenale documents some details of his work on Abnormally Attracted To Sin:
I wanted to xpand alittle on an email i received, asking about Tori’s new record “Abnormally Attracted To Sin” and my involvement . I worked on 4 songs for the record. All 4 of Tori’s creations , consumed me for the last 3 months of 08. We used an octet for the string section on 2 songs ( 4 violins, 2 violas 2 celli. Various synths, samplers, processes, Hammonds (A100 and solovox) and Wurly were used at times, played by Tori and me. Tori played Bosy on 3. Matt and Jon played on all 4. One song i arranged the rythym section, keys and strings around Tori . Then Matt and Jon added there magic later. This process finished in Cornwall in December. The ending of a wonderful record and an emotional year for me. Well thats it for now. I will put up more text and pics after the release.
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Post by Modern Method. on Mar 18, 2009 11:04:56 GMT -5
Austin radio station KGSR, on which Tori will be making an in-studio appearance later this week, has aired a few songs from Abnormally Attracted to Sin. So far, “Fire to Your Plain” was broadcast yesterday and “Welcome to England” popped up in their playlist earlier today. Hopefully a few more tracks will see the light of day as well!
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Post by Modern Method. on Mar 18, 2009 11:12:31 GMT -5
'Welcome To England' sounds so gooooooood! I really am impressed.
Between this and new Placebo, it's all a bit too much. I think anymore could do me over.
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Post by stef19 on Mar 18, 2009 12:09:33 GMT -5
^ ha I know I was thinking the same thing! Two great songs in one day...it was sensory overload...to much greatness at one time, Ha!!
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Post by pb on Mar 18, 2009 20:51:18 GMT -5
the majority of ‘Fire to Your Plain’ has also emerged... Seems to be a love it or hate it track -
Tori Amos pre-album time is kind of hilarious - the fan community is a bit nuts.
Anyhow, I'm a little indifferent about this one. I set my expectations a bit low, as I haven't loved a Tori album since Scarlet - I enjoy that the track isn't super cheesey, and I like the kind of cabaret trip hop elements in it.
Either way, mostly I'm excited to hear what she pulls out @ sxsw and on her radio appearances in the next few days.
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Post by Modern Method. on Mar 19, 2009 7:14:36 GMT -5
I'm not gonna listen to anymore online until I actually have the album. 'Welcome To England' has tided me over till the release.
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Post by Modern Method. on Mar 21, 2009 12:23:47 GMT -5
'Welcome To England' sounds so gooooooood! I really am impressed. Between this and new Placebo, it's all a bit too much. I think anymore could do me over. 'In The Snow' has done just that!
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Post by stef19 on Mar 21, 2009 18:06:37 GMT -5
ha ha yeah what a week in music huh? Crazy that all this is happening at once.
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Post by Modern Method. on Mar 21, 2009 18:25:29 GMT -5
I know all my favourite artists releasing new material. I pose a challenge for Bjork now to release a spontaneous new song to round off the week!
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