Free Fiona!

Sony has refused to release the new Fiona Apple album. Actually, "Extraordinary Machine" has been complete for long enough now, it doesn't really even qualify as the "new" Fiona Apple album. It's just the much-maligned rock girl's most recent effort. And it's really good. Easily as good as her last album, "When the Pawn." It's a little weird, but not much more weird than "Pawn." It's obviously releasable...Fiona fans will clearly like it. I mean, I like Fiona Apple albums, and I like it.

Track 2, "Red Red Red" sounds a lot like you'd expect a Fiona Apple song to sound. And the whole thing was produced by Jon Brion, who wrote the popular scores to films like I Heart Huckabees and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Punch-Drunk Love. So what gives, Sony?

Apparently, they felt the album was unmarketable and doesn't have a radio single on it. True, it doesn't sound utterly homogenized. No one will mistake this for the latest Lindsay Lohan anti-paparazzi screed. But this is hardly "Trout Mask Replica." It's a pop-rock album with, granted some odd production effects, but also plenty of catchy tunes and solid hooks. If bands like Modest Mouse, Interpol, Wilco and The Arcade Fire can garner some mainstream attention, I see no reason why an already-established artist like Fiona should have to pander to the lowest common denominator just to have her work see the light of day.

Anyway, if you're so inclined, you can semi-kind-of-not-totally-legally download it from the blog Geek Dreams here. I'd highly recommend it - definitely one of the more inspired, tuneful, energetic pop efforts of the year thus far. It kind of reminds me of Fiona's first album combined with an arty indie ensemble like Architecture in Helsinki or the Fiery Furnaces.

Anyway, if you don't have a problem with file downloading, get on top of this Geek Dreams thing, cause it probably won't last there forever. I'm also betting it's on Soulseek or BitTorrent if you're 1337 enough to know where to look for that kind of thing.

Oh, and if you want to know more about the whole Sony situation, or want to make your anger about the release hold-up, why not go to Free Fiona? It's a website set up to press Sony into releasing the album ASAP, and they also seem to be behind getting a downloadable version out there on the 'Net. And you can donate to their efforts! Do it for the kids...