Ugh! For many of us geeks, by 1996, “new rock” already was becoming stale. The glut of grungy gunksters who dominated the industry now had become as pretentious and predictable as the hair-band hacks they’d exterminated just five years earlier. Sure, Alanis, Tori, Shirley, Gwen, Nina, Courtney and others were providing significant fem-breathed freshness, but there still was a personal sonic itch that remained unscratched. Then, crazy-ass Fiona Apple showed up. Like that time my mom busted my high school kegger, Apple crashed the party — pulling the blinds back, propping the door open and proclaiming, “It f-ing stinks in here!” Released 25 years ago this month (July 23, 1996), Apple’s debut record, Tidal, proved the 19-year-old singer/songwriter/pianist to be a powerful and truly unique new...