Explain what you hate about Ani DiFranco.

One of the things that originally turned me on to her was her distinct vocal cadence & idiosyncratic style, honestly. I think the thing I most love about it is that she feels actually affected by what she's singing, she doesn't feel detached from her own voice like many other singers.

Right now I think "Dilate" is maybe my favorite, she sounds like she's breaking down midway through it, but then when the lyricless singing parts come through it's so friggin' triumphant.

I've mostly avoided her after knowing too many of the aforementioned tunnel-vision fans.

**Incidentally, two of my best friends are a couple (lesbians) who don't like Ani DiFranco either.

the world's last minority

Ann, you misogynist!

I made a compilation of Ani's best jazzy/balladic stuff for my boyfriend - who was suspicious because of the uncritical love by lesbians - and I surprised myself at how totally unlike the public idea of Ani it was.

-- Kenan Hebert (edito...), November 10th, 2003."

Oh, c'mon, I want to kick Darren Spooner down the stairs after her...

I am bothered by:
*her weird vocal affect
*her guitar tone (thuddy, jarring)
*her general aversion to melody

I am much more bothered by:
*listening to people trying to imitate her weird vocal affect at open-mic nights
*listening to sound engineers at my college tweak the EQ on any acoustic guitar to make any acoustic guitar to make it sound like hers
*her popularity among my ex-boyfriends

"Folky Drivel" would be a great name for a record label. Better than "Righteous Babe", at any rate.

Now where did I put that "A Mighty Wind" DVD?

Although maybe she's hot. Is she?

Incidentally, the irony of Sasha's complaint is that Ani's old (and not especially numerous) feminist rants were always funnier and more involving than the more generalised Mike Moore style anti-military/industrial complex stuff that she does now (though in her defence "Your Next Bold Move" - which I disliked initially for the aforementioned reasons - utilises its inter-connected metaphoric imagery superbly)

http://www.righteousbaberecords.com/images/m_chunkmagnets.jpg

Haha Revelling/Reckoning was my introduction to Ani! And it's ironic given what's generally considered to be her biggest flaw (self-editing) that her double album is the only consistently brilliant LP I've heard of hers. Dilate comes close, but nothing else.

Yeah what's also weird is that all the Ani fans seem to rate To The Teeth and Evolve - neither of which really struck a chord w/ me bar a few fantastic songs on the former - and dislike Revelling/Reckoning.

Here's what I wrote on R/R when I got into it.

"So What" might be one of my favourite Ani songs... lyrically amazing, and I love the distant jazz clarinet circling her.

"So What" *is* great - the 3 drinks/2 drinks bit in the chorus, or "but nothing comes at first/and little comes at all/and when inspiration finally hits you/it barely even breaks your fall". Likewise I love the line in "Rock Paper Scissors": "Desire drags me right out of myself/like a gas-soaked rope tied to a piece of coal/i'm getting pretty good at looking on the bright side/while the flames rip along the sand and swallow me whole." Or the extended riff in "Marrow" on "a taste of your own medicine". Great stuff! Some of my favourite lyrics ever.

The 3 beers/2 beers line - yes! Also, the munificence of metaphors on "School Night", and the "you were the make-me-mad guy... now I am the bad guy" couplet on "Sick Of Me". R/R is a perfect summer album, actually - the ballads are all languid and warm, and the more upbeat ones are totally sun-kissed. "OK" in particular needs some love!

Ani's in that select group of people I hate but have no desire to slag in public

(i do not consider hurting's post a slag btw)

the new album is great

The first half sounds like she has been listening to D'Angelo.

Agree this is great, trying to decide whether it's her best since Knuckle Down or Red Letter Year or Allergic to Water (though really the albums after Knuckle Down tend to blur together for me).

Am I inventing this memory or did she complain that Eno “stole” her observation that the Eventide H3000 Ultra Harmonizer sounds great when you overdrive it?

I can’t find it anywhere on the internet right now. And yeah, dudes take credit for women’s ideas all the time. But even still, this is some weak sauce.

"shrinking violet" is achingly perfect. it's like "if i believe you" (the 1975) mixed with "tolerate it" (taylor swift)

There's nothing I can say
Beyond this whispered wish
Your anger has a hunger, mister
And I'm its favourite dish
There's nothing I can say
So I don't make a sound
I just wipe the counter and I
I keep my head down

The last Secondary English Curriculum I used incorporated the lyrics of her song “Amendment” and asked students to analyze the language she employed. I got more out of it than the kids, but they’re apathetic to everything

Gotta say I did not expect to see much Ani love on ilm, but heartened nonetheless. I listened to her a ton in college, then fell away for a bit but have been paying more attention to her recent stuff. Hoping to get my copy this weekend.

"shrinking violet" is achingly perfect. it's like "if i believe you" (the 1975) mixed with "tolerate it" (taylor swift)

OTM but also lol at this Beatlejuice-like attempt to manifest Brad in this thread.

I realized that I hated my roommate 26 years ago when he asked me if I liked Annie. Me thinking Annie Lennox replied, “Oh my God I totally love her!” and then he started playing Ani Difranco… 🤢

Ani Difranco has no redeeming qualities to my ears. Sorry to those who like her but fingers on a chalkboard are more appealing than her incessant whining and dreadful stream of consciousness word vomit.