20 years ago today, Tori Amos made a name for herself by releasing one of the greatest debut albums ever released (no, we’re not exaggerating). An alternately wistful and angry feminist record about religion, womanhood, rape, motherhood, sex, sin, guilt and… er… mittens. With cover art that knowingly referenced the US cover of Kate Bush’s first album (lady in a box) and emblazoned on the back with strange phallic fungal drawings, this is an album that has stood the test of time but not abandoned its wonderfully un-ironic 90s roots.
Tori is famously unafraid of sounding pretentious or affected in interviews or in her music and a relisten to this album proves she was like this from the start. Lyrics like “I wanna smash the faces of those beautiful boys / Those christian boys / So you can made me cum? That doesn't make you Jesus” and “So you found a girl who thinks really deep thoughts / What's so amazing about really deep thoughts? / Boy you best pray that I bleed real soon / How's that thought for you?” set her apart from female singers who’d steered shy of subjects like ejaculation and menstruation out of fear of alienating mainstream or squeamish audiences. A lot of artists start out safe and get more fearless with time but Amos has been fearless from the start.
That’s not to say that Little Earthquakes is a difficult or challenging listen. It’s possibly her most accessible record, full of pop hooks, soaring choruses and memorable melodies. The genius of the album is melding this 90s pop sensibility, with unusual soundscapes (most namely the unique chord shapes and sets of tonal centres that Tori ekes out on the piano), confrontational, witty and poetic lyrics and an admirable and raw pro-woman story that ties it together and makes it still relevant today. A seminal work of art, and most definitely worth checking out if it’s not already in your collection.
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She's doing a special release for this! Unclear what though.
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