New Fiona Apple Songs Are “Done,” You Just Can’t Hear Them Yet

Not to get all self-indulgent here, but there are certain benefits to writing about music for the Internet. We get to hear albums early, occasionally meet our idols and, to an extent, influence the conversation happening around artists. But our influence extends only so far! Earlier this year we demanded new music from a few of our not-often-heard-from favorites and — posthumous Amy Winehouse tracks notwithstanding — our call seems to have fallen on deaf ears, especially when it comes to Fiona Apple, who says she’s had new material ready and raring to go for a “f—ing year,” with nary a release in sight. 

Grantland reports that the “Criminal” singer recently joined producer/composer friend Jon Brion on stage for a few powerful songs at Largo in Los Angeles, and when prompted by an audience member to play new music, Apple replied, “I can’t remember [how to play] any of my new songs because they’ve been done for a f—ing year.” To which Bion added, “Not her fault!” And that’s when the rumor machine clicked on.

We don’t know why there isn’t a brand new Fiona Apple album for you to listen to yet, even though, once upon a time, spring 2011 was batted around as a debut date. But then again, this isn’t the first time Apple’s music has gotten tangled in some behind-the-scenes vaguely but probably label-related web. Her last release, the long-delayed, twice-recorded critical darling Extraordinary Machine, took six years to premiere, just like its predecessor, 1999’s 400-character-long title When the Pawn…, which confounded headline writers but wooed their music-critic coworkers.

So where does that leave us? Fiona fans, for all their Gandhi-like patience, can hold out out hope that since the music is there, it very well may leak. Or maybe they can form a support group with Nicole Scherzinger fans, who know a thing or two about long waits?

[via AV Club]