burning like matchsticks in the face of the darkness

For a number of years I was buying every ani album when it came out, despite the fact that I wasn't really enjoying her later albums that much (I place the decline at r&r, though I should probably say upx6 -- ironically, my introduction to ani was lpc [which came out the year before upx6].) but after so much shouting, so much laughter (where I didn't like what she did to "pulse" and "my iq") I felt no need to buy a best-of album.

I ILL-ed this album and yeah, I'm really okay with not owning it (except for the part where I feel like I should because otherwise there's a gap in my collection).

I did enjoy (given the space I was in personally) that the Side One track list went in part:
cradle & all
shy
32 flavors
[distracted]
gravel
untouchable face
joyful girl

Wow, she uses "distracted" -- which I love, but which is talking-to-the-audience-introducing-a-song bit from living in clip, which is made extra weird 'cause in it she's talking about fan reaction to a recent album, only this is now more than ten years later (I believe she's referencing dilate in the original bit).
Speaking of living in clip, that version of "shameless" is the True version in my head (I loved that album long before I ever listened to dilate, and how can you not love the knowing cheering audience reaction to "i guess i'd shut my mouth and rethink a minute but i can't shut it now 'cuz there's something in it"?). This album also uses the living in clipversion of "joyful girl" with her intro talking about crickets. Going in, I hadn't realized she was using original studio recordings at all -- though it makes some sense.

wtf is up with her voice on the new recording of "napoleon"?

The new version of "shameless" is . . . interesting. It's got this almost stilted singing. I don't actively dislike it (as I do "napoleon"), but I don't know what to make of it.

Side Two is the second half of her career, so looking at the track list before I played it, excluding the last three which are new recordings, I could only sing 4 of the 15 songs. A couple of them I don't even recognize the titles (no surprise, those are from educated guess -- I kinda zoned out while listening to Side Two, but come "swim" I was like, "bleh"; "manhole" also prompted a negative reaction, though I enjoyed "studying stones"; I recently revisited "hypnotized" thanks to verses and yeah I like it).

Interesting choice to make "both hands" so high-energy.

I'm not a fan of the musical experimentation Ani did with her last few albums.  revelling/reckoning (2001) and evolve (2003) took a long time to grow on me (the former especially), and I couldn't bring myself to listen to educated guess (2004) and knuckle down (2005) more than once each.  And we don't speak of so much shouting, so much laughter (2002).  So I had no expectations for reprieve (2006).

As it turns out, this album is the mellow evocative one might expect from the cover artwork.  (The artwork accompanying each lyric page is also very complementary.)  The lyrics are not the brilliance I am used to expecting from her, and I often notice similarities to earlier songs [though I guess that's to be expected, as there are only so many stories to be told] but it's actually enjoyable to listen to.  I am reminded of revelling/reckoning (and my experience therewith) a lot actually.  And frighteningly, I find myself wanting to give her last two albums another shot.

It sounds like I'm damning with faint praise, and maybe I am; but hey, I'm relieved.

( song-by-song )