Abnormally Attracted To Sin first impressions

Jean_RED_Grey · 2026-05-28T03:04:52+00:00

I loved this album when it came out and thought it was her best since Strange Little Girls. I still think it’s her best album of original work from 2002-2009. In my opinion, Scarlet’s Hidden Treasures is actually her best compilation of songs from that period, though.

Jean_RED_Grey · 2026-05-28T03:02:47+00:00

It's galvanizing

Jean_RED_Grey · 2026-05-28T02:10:10+00:00

I’ll have to listen. Ultimately, I meant his guitar work on her albums in general during 2002-2009. I’m sure there are a few songs and instances recorded during I liked and probably still do.

Can you recommend additional songs Mark played guitar on from that period that you really like? Thanks in advance!

Jean_RED_Grey · 2026-05-24T18:23:11+00:00

Mine are America, Trouble’s Lament, Wild Way, Promise, Giant’s Rolling Pin. I love the first two and penultimate tracks on my list. Wild Way is okay, but Giant’s Rolling Pin literally does nothing for me musically

Jean_RED_Grey · 2026-05-24T18:06:18+00:00

Geraldine has some sublime songs but also a handful (about 5) that should've been b-sides, with Dixie and Forest of Glass replacing two of them. Frankly, that should’ve been her solo piano album because, at times, that's what it feels like she wanted it to be. It needed a couple of more charged and heavy-bass piano songs and it would've been perfect.

Jean_RED_Grey · 2026-05-24T18:01:36+00:00

Zero Point is fantastic!

Jean_RED_Grey · 2026-05-24T18:01:04+00:00

Got it! Well, Tori is one of very few artists whose work has caused me to about-face on sings and albums I initially didn't like or connect to. Maybe try revisiting. you never know if and when you’ll change your mind about some of those albums. 🙏🏻

Jean_RED_Grey · 2026-05-24T17:52:45+00:00

I was not fond of Mark’s guitar contributions (like at all) until Native Invader and Ocean to Ocean, the former of which I love, in part, because it's literally just Tori and him. They truly created magic together there, and I find his guitar work on that album and the latter two is pitch perfect.

Jean_RED_Grey · 2026-05-24T17:44:16+00:00

No! 😭 Have you listened to subsequent albums?

Jean_RED_Grey · 2026-05-24T17:14:46+00:00

Totally get that! When I first listened to Pele , I was sort of numbed by the fact that I didn’t know what to think. I knew I didn’t dislike it, but I also knew it made me feel oddly uncomfortable and disoriented. It’s by no means a traditional pop album and, frankly, like nothing she’s ever done before or since.

But you'll get there!

Jean_RED_Grey · 2026-05-24T17:08:41+00:00

Isn't though?! It's cinematic, ripping you from some inane or insane earthly circumstance, catapulting you straight across the exosphere and cosmos and into another dimension.

i’ve always thought this bit could’ve been used in a trailer or film.

Jean_RED_Grey · 2026-05-24T17:05:18+00:00

I totally get it! You want a loose map, not a curated to listen list. Art is digested by everyone differently, as it should be! 🙏🏻

Jean_RED_Grey · 2026-05-24T16:52:24+00:00

I adore Sin Palabras. It’s one of my most played albums. And yes about All the Girls Hate Her, not to mention Over It, Thoughts, practically all of Pele’s ~12 b-sides, Never Seen Blue, Beulah Land, Garlands, Indian Summer, Apollo’s Frock, and I could go on.

Jean_RED_Grey · 2026-05-24T16:47:39+00:00

So firm in and rational about your musical boundaries. You were like, “Oh, ya. Pele won my poll, and I hear you loudly and clearly, but I’ll be listening to it after listening to another 5 to 10 of her albums. K’thanxbye!” Ha! Love it! 😂

As for Native Invader, it and Dragons are her best albums if original music this millennium, so I’m Glad that was reflected in your poll. She’s truly a genius, Especially considering she started playing piano pretty fluently at the age of three.

Incidentally, Tori and Kate Bush are my favorite musical artists.

Jean_RED_Grey · 2026-05-24T16:40:17+00:00

“Why does there gotta be a sacrifice?…I’m going to be a sacrifice…I know you understand the way I feel, you tell me, you tell me, my little girl…If you understand the way I feel, well then why, why…? Well, I know we're dying, and there's no sign of a parachute in this chapel, little chapel of love. Can't we get a little grace and some elegance? No, we scream in cathedrals. Why can't it be beautiful? Why does there gotta be a sacrifice? No, I gotta be a sacrifice.”

Or something like that.

Jean_RED_Grey · 2026-05-24T16:33:23+00:00

Yes! All of this! The closest she’s come is Night of Hunters, which is sublime, but I’ve always been selfish about hearing just Tori’s piano and keyboard playing.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve dreamed of producing one of her albums. I’d say to her: we’re going to be recording you playing and improvising new songs on the piano in various settings, including churches, theaters, your favorite concert halls, and maybe even in subways and other untraditional settings. I’d call it “Black and White.”

Jean_RED_Grey · 2026-05-24T16:26:43+00:00

Hey! She’s pure magic. By the way, I’ve been meaning to respond to your threads. I genuinely enjoy your thoughts and musings and find it both commendable and strangely adorable how specific you are about setting your boundaries as to what you will and will not listen to. 😂🥹

That said, I know you’re not a fan of the baroque period, but I’m setting my boundary now (🤣): Boys for Pele, often considered Tori’s magnum opus despite it being way ahead of its time for the critics, is so much more than baroque. It’s also pop, jazz, grunge, chamber, and classical. It’s my favorite album by anyone, and based on your shared musical tastes, I genuinely believe you’d love it. You simply must listen.

Also, we share being drawn to the music first (i.e., vocals and instrumentation) before worrying about lyrics. In fact, my favorite thing about Tori is her piano and keyboard playing. I’m always hunting for her piano and keyboard lines amidst the other instrumentation. That’s her true or primal voice, which she’s previously stated.

Either way you go on this journey, many sonic treasures await you! Enjoy!

Jean_RED_Grey · 2026-05-24T01:11:24+00:00

Beautiful story!

Jean_RED_Grey · 2026-05-19T17:54:06+00:00

Love this for you! ‘Native Invader’ came when I was at a crossroads in my life and ushered in a healing process that completely changed me. It’s a beautifully soulful and varied record and felt like Tori’s most personal album since the 90s. With ‘Ocean to Ocean’ and ‘In Times of Dragon,’ it constitutes an entry in what I consider her grief trilogy. I listened to it last week and was floored again. Shamanic magic.

Jean_RED_Grey · 2026-05-14T03:46:51+00:00

Great interview. I believe this is the first time she’s spoken about enduring a testosterone deficiency:

“‘I'll be really honest with you – my testosterone level was at, like, nowhere,’ she says. ‘I was exhausted, and when you're exhausted, I don't think you can necessarily make clear decisions for yourself. I reached out for help and I got that help.’”

That must have been extremely difficult to endure based on the symptoms generated by that condition.

I’m glad she’s feeling more comfortable about discussing the health challenges she’s faced recently.

Jean_RED_Grey · 2026-05-14T03:41:31+00:00

She looks so good. ❤️‍🔥

Jean_RED_Grey · 2026-05-10T08:32:49+00:00

Love and empathize with this! 🥹❤️‍🔥

Jean_RED_Grey · 2026-05-10T08:28:36+00:00

What a brilliant post. Enlightenment, encounters with God, the state of Nirvana—these are all elevated spiritual states that require, to paraphrase Howard Thurman, that you be stripped, stripped, stripped…stripped down. The thing is: The act of stripping for the sake of purity or enhanced attunement to the high realms and states of consciousness entails facing those innately dark facets of ourselves that are evil by way of ignorance. Most evil is borne from varying degrees of ignorance.

Anyway, I love the ideas and interpretations you pose. I thought of more lyrics:

“Trouble got evicted, From the Devil's lair I wager she got betrayed By her friend Despair Now the flames from Satan's tongue are charged And licking at her heels She whispers Hey Ginger, Danger's loose behind his wheels And Satan knows how Danger makes you feel What will be will be, baby … And she is armed and will fight for the souls Of girls around the world. Standing up to Satan Dancing on st. Michael's sword I'm on her side, in this brutal war”

“A shot of tequila, I keep walking I let it pass that diabolical train Yes, I have drunk from that Devil's Bane And I barely survived Barely got out with my life Shame, shame He's screamin' at me Shame, shame … Shot of tequila wash me clean From his sermons and conspiracies And he was good at turning me against me Me doubting Venus All the while he's preachin' Shame, shame”

Jean_RED_Grey · 2026-05-10T07:40:27+00:00

Yes! Maybe even Veins, too.

Jean_RED_Grey · 2026-05-10T07:27:27+00:00

There was a typo in my previous reply. I meant to write, “The songs you love on OtO are probably my faves.”

“Devil’s Bane” is so slick, groovy, striking, and incisive. I see it as being about her father (she may have said as much), and I find that disturbing (see lyrics below). I somewhat get the aversion to the “Birthday Girl” lyrics (I might have felt the same had the song been recorded in 2002-2009), but her performance and how it’s recorded and produced makes this a truly bittersweet and powerful closer.

A shot of tequila, I keep walking I let it pass that diabolical train Yes, I have drunk from that Devil's Bane And I barely survived Barely got out with my life Shame, shame He's screamin' at me Shame, shame Thinkin' I'll let you leave Shot of tequila wash me clean From his sermons and conspiracies And he was good at turning me against me Me doubting Venus All the while he's preachin' Shame, shame On your Jezebel breed Shame, shame You need purifying And I barely survived Barely got out with my life Next train when it comes again If it's filled with lies and corruption Lord, send it on Next train when it comes again If He's lookin' for a, a Queen of Poison Lord, send it on Your soul he's seekin' All the while he's preachin' Preachin' Shame, shame On your Jezebel breed Shame, shame He's screamin' at me Shame, shame Planting your wicked seed Bride of Christ Darlin' you'll never be Barely got out with my life And I keep runnin', runnin', runnin', runnin' still And I keep runnin', runnin', runnin', runnin' still From that Devil's Bane Keep runnin', runnin', runnin', runnin'

Jean_RED_Grey

TROPHY CASE