Tori Amos vs. Ani DiFranco

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Another day, another half-formed thought. ::sigh:: Here we go.

Tori Amos is completely out of ideas. Ani DiFranco is bursting with ideas, but she needs an editor somethin' awful.

Discuss.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Monday, 19 May 2003 16:11 (twenty-two years ago)

I've never called Ani DiFranco a genius in order to get laid, so Tori, a thousand times Tori

― James Blount (James Blount), Monday, 19 May 2003 16:15 (twenty-two years ago)

plus I do really like "Cornflake Girl" and the remix thing a million other posters will mention

― James Blount (James Blount), Monday, 19 May 2003 16:15 (twenty-two years ago)

they both "almost" make the indigo girls sound good

― jack cole (jackcole), Monday, 19 May 2003 16:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Tori Amos albums, like Star Trek films, are alternately good bad good bad. Except, obviously all Star Trek films are shit.

Embarassingly, "Scarlet's Walk" is the only Tori Amos album I don't own. Obviously, it couldn't have been as bad as "Strange Little Girls", but, generally, was it any good?

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 19 May 2003 16:28 (twenty-two years ago)

this'll get me killed but I prefer Tori to Kate Bush if only cuz I haven't been forced to watch "friends"' Tori video collections

― James Blount (James Blount), Monday, 19 May 2003 16:30 (twenty-two years ago)

plus the 'Tori is such a genius' line really really worked circa 95, 96

― James Blount (James Blount), Monday, 19 May 2003 16:31 (twenty-two years ago)

I was loooking for a good background music album to put on while studying – something nice to clear out the background noise but with no distractions or thrills to avert my attention. "Scarlet's Walk" did just the trick. I found Tori's first four albums really exciting (except Pele), great captivating listens. I knew "Scarlet's" would not be.

She sounds old now, she sounds wearied and worn and wrung out of ideas. Not even a shadow of what she used to be, that's why I didn't get my hopes up. She'll never come out with another "choirgirl", and I doubt I'll buy anything from her in the future.

Also, when a dude praises Tori without being prompted (ie brings her up), it's a big DANGER! WARNING! sign. Paste experience shows Tori fans to be fucked up people. That included me in junior high, height of her love.

― Fivvy (Fivvy), Monday, 19 May 2003 16:37 (twenty-two years ago)

But have any of you heard the stuff Ani is doing now? Jazz band, mellow horn section, interesting song structures... It's good stuff. Some of it is, anyway. If only she had a major label record deal, someone might occasionally say to her, "No, I don't think you need to release another live album. And this new studio album should only be one disc. Pare it down."

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Monday, 19 May 2003 16:44 (twenty-two years ago)

this'll get me killed but I prefer Tori to Kate Bush if only cuz I haven't been forced to watch "friends"' Tori video collections

I have. Tori Amos videos are awful, especially the bizarre and Eurotrash "Raspberry Swirl" video and the one with the rats. And the one with her writing in the surf.

― adam (adam), Monday, 19 May 2003 16:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Both Tori and Ani have seriously rabid fans. To a scary degree. Personally, I prefer Ani's goofiness to Tori's weirdness.

― Jeanne Fury (Jeanne Fury), Monday, 19 May 2003 16:51 (twenty-two years ago)

ive been dragged to concerts by both due to ex gfs. i have to say that ani kept my attention 3469583x more than tori did. i think maceo parker came out and played with ani and she has this really aggresive, funky, percussive way she stums her guitar thats really neat. thats all i remember. all i remember from tori concerts was looking at my watch, and getting in trouble for smoking a tree.

― chaki (chaki), Monday, 19 May 2003 17:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, sure...Tori looks like she needs sleep and Ani looks like she needs a bath...but I can't choose for I love them both so. Put 'em both together you get Patti Smith.

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Monday, 19 May 2003 17:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Heh. I never thought of it like that. Tori should cover "We Three," and Ani should cover "Rock and Roll Nigger."

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Monday, 19 May 2003 18:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Neither of them are as good as Chan Marshall, why are we even discussing this?

― Jon Cryer (Jon Cryer), Monday, 19 May 2003 18:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Ani is funky and fun and her music can get way furious, and I actually, y'know, like her songs and listen to her albums (especially the stuff she's done with the band like Evolve and To the Teeth). I hella-liked Tori's first 3 albums, in a sorta okay-so-I-can't-find-my-copy-of-Nighthawks at the Diner-what-else-can-I-listen-to-when-I'm-feeling-this-down kinda way. I quite dig & respect both, but I actually feel like listening to Ani a lot of the time, whereas, with Tori...erm, nope.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 19 May 2003 18:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Plus I love that Ani puts her shit out on her own record label and always has and even puts out other people's music...not to mention I've seen her playing with Maceo Parker, Larry Graham, AND Prince (on a video tape, but still!).

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 19 May 2003 18:40 (twenty-two years ago)

I like them both as much as I can like them.

― Mike Taylor (mjt), Monday, 19 May 2003 19:13 (twenty-two years ago)

I've never heard Ani but she plays Wyoming shows. That's awesome. Wyomingans need music.

― Fivvy (Fivvy), Monday, 19 May 2003 19:17 (twenty-two years ago)

The only thing that bothers me about Ani DiFranco ("Heartbeat - It's a Love Beat") is her voice -- well, that and her lyrics, but I think a better singer could make even her too-obvious words a bit less cringe-worthy. Her playing, politics, and song structures I dig.

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Monday, 19 May 2003 19:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Ironic thing about Ani is that her double disc opus was way more consistent than her most recent album, which leads me to believe that her weaker moments are not a result of being prolific or trying out new styles, but rather from her tendency to write songs even when she's not emotionally invested in doing so, resulting in uninteresting songs filled with really forced-feeling passion and shamefully below-par lyrics (see the really painful "Serpentine" for example). All of her best music and lyrical metaphors (at which she's as good as just about anybody) come out of emotional intensity, and usually a rather dark stripe of it - between "Marrow", "Rock Paper Scissors", "Reckoning, "So What", "Grey", "Schoolnight" and "Revelling", Reckoning/Revelling turns vague self-dissatisfaction into like the most powerful and articulate emotion ever.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 20 May 2003 00:30 (twenty-two years ago)

If only she had a major label record deal,

I wouldn't wish that on anyone, frankly

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Tuesday, 20 May 2003 02:59 (twenty-two years ago)

James Blount - sacrilege. Tori's the chart friendly version of Kate. The Poundstretchers, cheap-shop version.

Nasty.

― russ t, Tuesday, 20 May 2003 08:40 (twenty-two years ago)

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