BITTER APPLE BEARS BAD FRUIT.

Byline: Fred Shuster Music Critic

Fiona Apple suffered for her art.

Friday at the Wiltern Theatre, it was our turn.

Apple's neobohemian navel-gazing seemed refreshing when her piano- thumping 1996 debut, ``Tidal,'' hit the post-grunge rock scene. Four years later, her feel-my-pain coffee-bar confessionals and unfocused, flailing delivery are simply excruciating.

In an hour and 20 minute set, Apple concentrated on songs from her mediocre current disc, which has a characteristically pretentious 90-word title starting with ``When the Pawn. ...'' When she wasn't sitting at the grand piano stomping her feet, she sang these aimless, tuneless numbers center stage, offering some of the silliest twirling since Stevie Nicks hung up the lace scarves.

Apple, 22, seemed both agitated and extremely pleased with herself, at one point admitting she has little to communicate to fans between songs: ``If I had anything interesting to say, I'd say it. But I don't.''

No kidding. Yet, she gesticulated wildly throughout the night as she mouthed something to a person evidently just off stage. Who could it have been - her guru? A Domino's delivery guy? Her shrink?

Fronting a merely adequate five-piece band, which included a vibes player, Apple apparently blew out her voice on the evening's opening number, the new album's lead-off track, ``On the Bound.'' For the rest of the performance, she mostly shouted lyrics, making a strange bleating sound that was supposed to pass for raw emotion rather than a lamb on its way to slaughter.

But any genuine feeling in mildly interesting songs like ``Sleep to Dream,'' ``Criminal'' or ``Carrion,'' all from ``Tidal,'' was mauled by Apple's uncomfortably frenetic performance style, apparently borrowed from the King Gimp school of stagecraft. Jumping, twirling crazily or convincingly approximating a 6-year-old's temper tantrum, Apple (who was also scheduled to perform Saturday) appeared petulant and out of control.

But to those who love the troubled singer-songwriter, it's all part of her charm. The audience played along, shouting approval, passing up flowers and rising for familiar material from the Los Angeles-based Apple's best-selling first album. The newer songs, except for the gimmicky ``Fast As You Can'' and ``Paper Bag,'' which have both received airplay, were met with less enthusiasm.

Apple's subject matter is even less inspired than her stage antics. Song after indistinguishable song dealt with that most tiresome of topics: relationships and hurt feelings. Enough already.

A few years ago, Apple might have developed into something other than an even kookier Tori Amos-lite. But when ``Tidal'' took off, she was unfortunately encouraged to be herself - whatever that is - and the result is a confused and confusing performer with not a whole lot to say.

As an encore Friday, Apple performed a near-karaoke version of Cole Porter's ``Just One of Those Things,'' backed by a scratchy instrumental recording. What did it mean? Your guess is as good as ours.

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Photo: Round and round Fiona Apple goes. Where she will stop - who cares?

David Sprague/Staff Photographer