Choirgirl. Choirgirl. Choirgirl. An album so fucking good I have to say it three times. For three is the magic number.

What an album. Musical perfection. I literally cannot see how it could possibly be bettered.

Twelve tracks, each one a glorious mix of heavy, heady emotion. Musical exhilaration. Beauty, pain and intensity.

An innate genius, the utter *atmosphere*! Swirl and swirl and swirl indeed.

Perfectly structured, from beginning to end. An album so perfect that even the sequencing is part of it all.

The all of Choirgirl.

The first appearance of a fully integrated band. Visceral driving rhythms. Math as fuck.

And the melodies. Oh god, the melodies! The passion! The drive! Melodies that are sent down from somewhere very special indeed - melodies that twist and turn and weave their way into your brain.

That word, atmosphere, again.

I could rant on about this album for hours. I think I will.

To hell with it. I'm going to put it on and self indulgently write about it for the full 54:12 minutes. I'm so self indulgent. But it will be an interesting exercise on my part too.


This is the greatest album ever, after all.



<Spark comes on>

One of the best openers to any album ever. A statement of intent. Up there with greats like, let's see - Only Shallow. Taxman. Cherry-Coloured Funk. Ivo. Dalliance. Debaser. That noise thing that Fugazi always seem to do. Filler. This Town . Yes. Pretty Good Year. Beauty Queen. Elvis Impersonator. The Classical. 15 Step. Airbag. Vibracobra. Queen Is Dead . Sympathy. Sunday Morning. Mojo Pin. Temple. Teen Age Riot. See No Evil. The opening silence of CTTE. Reuters. (starts looking through iTunes) Tunnels. Stars of Track and Field. Fuck this. It's taking too long.

The best song on the album it could be argued. But then again you could say that with every single song. Just wait and watch me do it haha.

Holy fuck, and then that bridge just comes out nowhere. Astonishing is not enough to describe it. Just simply brilliant. Tori always has been the master of great bridges. So many amazing ones.


<Cruel rears her head>

I haven't even finished writing about Spark yet. Fuck. But it's so ridiculously sublime. The perfect album opener, giving you that sense of what is to come.

But this. Cruel. Atmosphere is the word. Probably my least favourite on the record, but that's not saying anything. This is so dramatically different to *all* that had come before in the Tori world - one can just imagine going from LE, UTP and BFP to *this* back in 1998. I would have been 9 years old back then. Just pure atmosphere. *That* sound!


<Black-Dove (January) enters with muted piano>

More perfection. I have a friend who loves that opening piano riff. Well, I love it too. And the rest of the song. It's just mindblowing, this one. Like Spark, it starts off quietly. Suspiciously. Plaintively. It's dark. And then WHAM!

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GALAXY!

And then again back to that quietness. Genius. I have nothing more to say. How this song just literally explodes from the depths of that riff, that sound. The dynamic is just incredible. *This* is why I love Tori. More than anything. Her musicianship. Her ridiculous talent.

AND THEN THE PIANO BRIDGE!!! Yes i'm yelling. I'm feeling thrilled right now. Exhilarated. Pumped. But I have to get to fucking TEXAS!

Give me life, give me pain. Give me myself again!

And then back to the opening motif. From a compositional perspective, because me and Tori both come from a classical background - it's just so fucking *perfect*. Tori is just so fucking perfect.


<Raspberry Swirl>

Somedays this doesn't hit. But today it's hitting. Of that there's no doubt. This is pure exhilaration in sound. Swirl and swirl and swirl. Again, thinking back to what had come before - BFP to THIS! This is how techno fucking should be! It makes me feel alive. Desperation. Desire. And heh those lyrics ae. Let's not go into that. It's all about the music in this one. A pumping drumbeat done right. That little swirl of guitar before getting back into the verse. Little touches that just *make* this album. That percussion. Good ol' Matt. Possibly the greatest drummer in the world today. Everything is just so personal for him. A perfect match. That driving bass line. I do sometimes wish back for George Porter Jr. back, but then Jon is also a god. Swirl and swirl and swirl and swirl and swirl. Perfect images for the swirling exhilaration of that sound. Piano break at the end! Woah! A quiet hmmmmmmmmmmm at the end just *makes* it.


<Jackie's Strength walks in>

Beautiful. That's all I can say. It's perfect. Piano plus Tori. And still with *that* sound. How does Fails of a Librarian do it? How can it just take that life out of music like *this*?! That atmosphere. It's so fucking perfect. Those gliding strings, and then those short violin punches over the top. Phenomenal. Good one Shenale. There's just so much in this. Little touches everywhere. Everything melodic. Piano lines. The vocal melody itself is just stunning. Up and down, making musical sense - those extra phrases attached on the end to math it up so naturally - only real musicians can do that. Tori is just... I'm lost for words. It's all so natural for her. Download some bootlegs. She puts her all into everything that she does. All the time. All. The. Time. And that's what it's about. Strings envelop you. They soar. Tori has the most beautiful voice I've ever heard. No, that's a lie. That might well belong to Elizabeth Fraser. But Tori has the most beautiful voice i've ever heard. Another hmmmmmm to close. Perfect.


<the bass of i i e e e shows itself>

That atmosphere again. This album has such a sense of purpose. One that you can just *feel*. Not many do. That is what separates the truly great from the simply good. Purpose. [The Holy Bible] for instance. Damn that album for threatening to knock this off it's pedestal. But now that i'm listening to this, it doesn't even come close. Sure, lyrically almighty and the desperate urgency is all there - but this. This is just something else. Speaking of purpose, [Journal For Plague Lovers] has it in spades. Those Manics. I've been obsessing over them recently. But then, the BRIDGE!!!! Rock out! So fucking excellent. Which reminds me of the Sessions performance. Extended piano solo bridge. Mmmmm. Tori is one of those who changes the way the song is played each live outing - something I find very very important. Others who do it off the top of my head - Fugazi, Polvo, Jane, Veda. That's about it. There's probably more. But pure musicality. It's so ridiculously sensual.

*That* atmosphere!


<Liquid Diamonds fades in slowly>

And this is more of that. Might well be my favourite song on the album. A perfect slice of seven minutes. Pure atmosphere. Swirl. Piano lines which are imbued with so much meaning. You can tell Tori is a natural. No-one else even compares. Jane, maybe. But even so. God! This song is God! 2005 solo version has this incredible vocal/piano line eee-eee-eee-eee-eee-eee-eee etc at the beginning. Makes me cry, it's just so beautiful. This song. Imagery! Music! Check on both counts! It's just so goddamned beautiful. And why can't it be beautiful. Indeed. Matt on drums keeping that steady beat. Porter on bass just killing it. So smooth. If you don't have this album, buy it immediately. Get it on vinyl. Do whatever it takes. This is the greatest record ever. It's just pure essence. It's her soul. And it's beautiful. Beautiful pain. I wish I had her voice. It's so pure. She has technique. I need to get myself some vocal technique. She can literally do anything with that voice of hers, and it shows. It soars. It reaches down and caresses your soul. Diamonds I go, I go inside her shell I see it's all... and you're doing oh so well these days - her lyrics are so natural. So... Tori. And I love that so much. Pure soul. Pure thought. She is a genius. So wise. So obviously intelligent. Incredible incredible lady.

<Liquid Diamonds fades out slowly>

Perfect.


<Cocaine!!!!!>

Again whoa. Imagine 1998. Coming from BFP. There would have been nothing leading to people expecting anything like this. Pele was her exorcist album, they all are really. But this. This girl struts her way so ridiculously confidently. Note the key change post bridge. Only Tori. Only she can excite my musical training side like that. It's so nerdy, but I love it. Digital Ghost as well. Look out for it. Strut. And here's the bridge. Melodic turns everywhere. My god I love this woman. I can't wait to get home where I have a piano, and try this solo. The melodies of hers are always so natural, so strong. And that end. It's my current ringtone. Cut it again! Breeeepp! How can this be bettered? I really don't know. TVAB is great. But this. This.


<Northern Lad>

Beautiful. Melody. I do love me a good melody. Perhaps why i'm having this Manics phase - they do a damn great soaring melody, that James Dean Bradfield. This is also a contender for the greatest on the album. Tori's finest vocal performance in my book. God I miss the sound of her breathing into her microphone. It adds so much, and it's been missing post Fails. Mind you, Hidden Treasures I believe does have it. And that is a phenomenal record indeed. Indian Summer. Jesus that's great. And the way she says "fucking cold". More perfection. Perfection upon layers of perfection. When pianos try to be guitars. And I hate the sound of guitars. I can't believe i'm comparing Fugazi with this woman. They are both up there, certainly. Love them both dearly. This is just heart wrenching. One of the most beautiful songs ever. Her breathing into the microphone adds so much. Please bring it back Tori! It's why I seem to listen so much to live recordings of hers. She's stunning live. She really is. Just a natural. Such a talent. Heart breaking. Because of the rain. Simply magically wonderful. Perfect.


<Hotel swirls her way in>

Another contender. Math as fuck. So ridiculously exciting. Again, that "quiet" opening. Foreboding. Forewarning. Then it ROCKS OUT!!!! Goes crazy! Give me mooooore! It really doesn't get any more perfect than that. Images fit the sound. Then the army drum beat with a leaping melody and the Kurzweil doing it's thing in the background. So many layers, so much depth. Fuck I really should be studying. Fuck it. This is too good. Then it starts again. It's so structured. But the structure is not obvious. No "look! i'm an obvious FM chorus!" like 500 miles. Damn that song. Comparing that to this is just ridiculous. This is just out of this world. I don't imagine Tori to ever repeat her sound, but this is just... Spellbinding. And live she fucks it up a lot. Which is great! How's that - that I love it when Tori screws up performances. Because somehow it just works.

And then CODA.

Jesus. Holy crap. Everything goes nuts. Everything. Math! But it's so natural! I can't imagine it any other way. Then it just disappates. Back to that army drum beat, then nothing. This is just incredible. It really is. There's just so much depth. Where has that gone these days?

It's only Tori really flying that flag. Nothing out there even touches on the depth of her work.

Then that little outro. It's perfect.


<Playboy>

Again. Perfection. Need I even say it. The simple piano chords under her melody. Those little pianistic embellishments. So natural to her. It would sound forced on anyone else. I feel like commenting on the artwork. Best artwork ever in my opinion. Totally fits the mood. Atmosphere. Again, more perfection. It's just striking. And the live show - from videos i've seen, boots i've heard. Whoa. Every single night. Incredible. Nothing out there is even remotely close to Tori. I guess i'm waiting for that slide guitar to come now. I know it's coming, it's on it's way... This is just heartbreaking by the way. Tori with band. Is pure brilliance. Ah slide. And it's over the top of a perfect little piano break, a little emotional Tori voice. Fuck emo. Fuck Guy Picciotto. This is emotion. This is brilliance. And it's just so ridiculously great. Stunning. More slide guitar. Notice how perfect it is. Notice the layers. The depth. The vocals are so raw. So perfect. There's that word again. Perfect.


<Pandora's Aquarium>

I've always loved that title. Another contender for best song on the album. Perfect closer to an album. I can't believe i've reached the end already. Time has flown. The only other album that I can think of now that does this is [Close to the Edge]. Time flies when I listen to that too. So much happening musically I guess. I really love melody. This is such a good one. And it's not jazz at all. What the hell is it? It's Tori. It's a dark husky night at a saloon lined on the side with martinis. Martini glasses UP! And then the melodic change. Woah. Only Tori. Only her. She's just stunning that woman. I'm gushing and I just don't care. Ripple. What a word. Drums with brushes. Mmmm. That melody. That performance. So much purpose. So much intent. This record just *had* to happen. You can feel it. Everything is so fucking perfect. Melodic change again. It's so perfect in it's absolute ingenuity. It's so natural. I love this woman. I am not asking you to believe in me. Well I do, Tori. I really do. This is just the greatest album ever. And that vocal just hanging on by a tether by the end - the way it stretches, soars, resounds. Then closes. In a whisper.



And that is Choirgirl.






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