Alanis Morissette - Feast On Scraps (DVDand CD) (Wide Screen) (DVD)

...sort of progression and evolution. Alanis Morissette is amazing at evolving and changing. Unlike other artists she does this smoothly and naturally over the years. She doesn't go from black eye liner and guitars to bubble gum and pony tails over night which makes me respect her music a LOT more.

'''New world order'''


'''1 - Fear of bliss- 4:37'''
---Fear of bliss and fear of Joyitude, fear of bigness and ...
...of drums, base and Alanis. Alanis everywhere! The song itself explores life in general and how she can be her own worst enemy. If you can, I suggest you track down the live version of this, especially if you're a fan of drums. Drums are sexy. Drummers are sexier.


'''2 - Bent for you - 4:40'''
--- You're unavailable and disinterested and to you I look for comfort---

A little lighter on this track and a ... more

Well thank Eff for that

All the festivities are out of the way and suddenly everyone has forgotten that December even happened. I was trying to be one step ahead in the forgetting and was drinking heavily throughout the month of December. And the rest of the year for that matter. I'm starting to think maybe I should stop since it's no longer having a decent effect on me. Alternatively, I could start hammering the green fairy every time I go out. And no, that is not code for some queen dressed in green. What an awful image that is.

Now that everything is back to normal, or as normal as it can be, I have decided to recycle an old Ciao review because, looking back (a rather strange tradition I am told many people tend to do at the beginning of the year), it was a pile of crap.

What's new pussycat?

I cannot tell you in words how much I love Alanis. She just rocks my socks in every way imaginable...apart from maybe that one...hmm... point being, WOW! This is old news. As is the fact I was creaming like a little school girl when I found "feast on scraps" I was an angst ridden teenage girl (at least closer to one than a few of the girls I knew) and had just finished bopping away to her previous album "Under Rug Swept". There was a void in my life and I had not yet realised it was to be filled with blokes, so I attempted to fill it with Alanis. My how well that worked.

This album was released in December 2002 came close behind Under Rug Swept (which was released in the February of the same year) and is aptly named "Feast on scraps" The song list is quite short (9 songs if you include the acoustic version of hands clean) due to the fact that it does what it says on the tin. These songs were written while in the process of making Under Rug Swept and are what was left over. Someone in their infinite wisdom decided that these needed to be heard. I thank you whoever that was, mainly because it was another 2 years before anything else was released by Ms Morissette

Call me crazy but when you listen to an artists collection from start to end, I like to see some sort of progression and evolution. Alanis Morissette is amazing at evolving and changing. Unlike other artists she does this smoothly and naturally over the years. She doesn't go from black eye liner and guitars to bubble gum and pony tails over night which makes me respect her music a LOT more.

New world order

1 - Fear of bliss- 4:37
---Fear of bliss and fear of Joyitude, fear of bigness and ensuing solitude---

The first song on the Cd and what a fabulous one it is too. We begin with a very funky base line, building up to the chorus that reminds me of Korn - an explosion of drums, base and Alanis. Alanis everywhere! The song itself explores life in general and how she can be her own worst enemy. If you can, I suggest you track down the live version of this, especially if you're a fan of drums. Drums are sexy. Drummers are sexier.

2 - Bent for you - 4:40
--- You're unavailable and disinterested and to you I look for comfort---

A little lighter on this track and a bit more reminiscent of the "under rug swept" sound. The song talks about how Alanis is fed up of following men round like a little puppy. A very sweet, easy to listen to track even though it is, essentially a giant "Eff you, Guys" . Brilliant stuff.

3 - Sorry To Myself - 5:43
---My apologies begin here before everybody else---

This one, as grotesquely self pitying and selfish as it is, is actually a lovely song. It's about recognising that your happiness comes first, screw everyone else. Some gorgeous acoustic guitar plays through the song with the albums signature base tones echoing through the back. I can't see everyone loving this, but it is a great little ditty.

4 - Sister Blister - 4:12
---You and me feel joined by only gender, we are not all for one and one for all---

I can only imagine this song is pointing out how stupid girls can be when trying to win over men. I would have to fully agree. Though I also agree with the point that it makes me happy to see the girlies fighting over men. Specially if I know for a fact the man in question is batting for my team. It's hilarious. Ahem…where was I? Oh yes! This is a more upbeat, rocky tune, full of heavy(ish) guitars and a healthy helping of anger throughout leading up to a fabulously climactic end. Great song all round.

5 - Offer - 4:04
---How dare I ignore an outstretched hand, How dare I ignore a third world country---

I'm always caught off guard by this track. The previous track ends on such an anger fuelled high that this track seems a bit like a crash. Its incredibly slow paced, no anger. Don't get me wrong, it is a sumptuous feast for the ears, just a bit oddly placed. This ditty is a very apologetic guilt ridden one and deals with the idea that fame and fortune is brilliant, but still doesn't make you happy. And that's what she's apologising for. She's got it, and surely that means she should have no problems. The honesty of it is what I like the most about this song.

6 - Unprodigal daughter - 4:12
---I had grown disgusted by your small minded ceiling---

This is the only song I can tell you with 100% certainty what it is about. Alanis sang this one at one of her gigs I was at and said it was about the time when she moved from Canada to L.A. If you have a look at the lyrics it will all make sense. It's a song full of the relief of escaping and rocking guitar.

7 - simple together - 4:48
---If I had a bill for every hand thrown up in the air, my wealth would render this no less severe---

Without a doubt the most heartfelt song on the album. A piano, violins and Alanis make this A ballad to compete with the best of em, dealing with what most deal with, Love (or the lack thereof). Ok, so not a very happy track. In fact it's a painfully sad track. But that is part of its brilliance.

8 - Purgatorying - 4:27
--- Anesthetize me with your gossip and many random anecdotes---

A very dream like atmosphere oozes from this song. The base line carries it while some very oriental sounding acoustic and later electric guitars lull gently over the top. Who knows what the songs about, who really cares? Not me. The music is enough to enchant me. A great song to relax to without getting all depressed about something or other.

9 - hands clean acoustic version - 4:08
---This could get messy, but you don't seem to mind---

Ending the album we have an acoustic version of Hands clean, the first single from "Under Rug Swept". It's a nice reminder that the albums are, albeit quite loosely, linked and a fantastic version of the song. Acoustic versions tend to make me wet myself anyway, so as you may have noticed, I love it.

Get out your DVD player

Now that you have finished with the album, you may wish to stick the DVD on. There's not any menu's on it so you may wish to allocate a bit of time to sit and watch it.

The DVD takes you through interviews and random clips of Alanis over the years between Jagged little pill and Feast on Scraps. If you are an Alanis fan, then you'll be squirming in your seat with happy.

As you may expect there are also a few songs on the DVD (19 to be exact and assuming you count the song that's split into three parts as one) though I wouldn't get too excited just yet. The main downside of the DVD is the quality of some of the recordings. The sound tends to go between a studio recorded track playing over footage of a concert to a flat out recording of the concert. That means there are slight differences in the timing of the songs (even if they editing done a good job at cutting in at the right parts) and a HUGE difference in sound quality.

Overall the DVD is a fascinating look at her musical career and a must have for any Alanis fan.

Gap

So that's that. A brilliant little gap filler and an essential (and yet little known) part of Morissette's musical catalogue. If you're a fan, go get it now. It will cost between £6 and £15 depending on where you shop, so keep your eye open for those lower priced places!

Ahh, that's a lot better than the original review! Off I go to save orphans in Uganda. Or something. 

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