Given that Fiona Apple’s When the Pawn.. remains a favorite from her 3-album back catalog, today’s announcement of another lengthy title has somehow managed to up the anticipation even more for LP4. News arrived this morning via Apple’s official Facebook page that the new record will be called…
The Idler Wheel is wiser than the Driver of the Screw, and Whipping Cords will serve you more than Ropes will ever do.
Furthermore, Pitchfork caught wind of an estimated release time frame tentatively aimed for late June.
When Apple completed early sessions for the record with drummer Charley Drayton back in 2010, the pair spoke about what we might expect from the “challenging” set of tunes, which at the time featured a minimalist approach to instrumentation. Apple added:
I’ve written things that are a little more challenging for me to play and a little more challenging for me to sing because I know that [Drayton]’s going to be with me and that I’m going to get that feeling of focus and dedication to every single thing that I get when I’m around him.
Who knows how this material may have shifted since then, though come summer 2012 we’ll have further proof that Apple’s been anything but idle over these past seven years.
Beach House may have taken the cake for best 
As much praise as Sufjan Stevens’ solo output has deservedly earned over the years, one would be remiss in not giving his collaborative oeuvre its due as well. Today brings further proof of his multi-genre prowess in the form of a hip/trip-hop slow jam with s / s / s partners Serengeti and Son Lux. Below, hear the very promising opening track off their debut EP,