FFWD Weekly
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| CD Review by FFWD Staff ANI DIFRANCO • Album number 12 from Ani D., on her independently owned record label. • DiFranco is once again joined by her longtime percussionist Andy Stochansky, and bassist Jason Mercer. Joining her for the first time is Julie Wolf (Laura Love Band) on keyboards, accordion and backing vocals. Continuing to define herself by trying not to define herself, Ani DiFranco once again attempts to prove that different equals good. However, these days different means more than tattoos, piercings in places you would never show your grandmother, and a membership to the Hairstyle of the Month Club. Moving further from her acoustic folk beginnings, up up up up up up marks yet another phase in DiFranco’s experimentation with the merging of various musical styles. Where Little Plastic Castle was a full-sounding pop album, her latest release is a muddy, introspective production. The addition of Julie Wolf on organ, piano and Wurlitzer adds a bluesy, even funky feel to parts of the album. Instead of protesting in the streets, DiFranco is reflecting on the ups and downs of life in a dark and smoky bar, creating a distorted, fuzzed-out feeling. Like a form of therapy, DiFranco continues to use music to make sense of her internal and external worlds. The album contains a diverse collection of songs, yet it seems to lack the DiFranco tunes of past albums that send tingles down the spine, standing neck hairs on end. She has taken a more laidback approach, creating a depth of lyrics and music that takes time to absorb. This is particularly clear with the last song on the album, "Hat Shaped Hat," a 13-minute epic that has been whittled down from a three-hour jam. Way too long to be absorbed in one listen, this is music created by DiFranco simply because she can. And after 12 albums, whether or not people want to listen is probably not an issue for her. 3/5 Martin Kemp |
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