Happy Easter everybody! I hope you’ve all had a great break. Some of my friends have got married, others have bravely gone to the British seaside (for those outside the UK, it’s cold and wet here). Me, well, I’ve spent the weekend decorating. Not the most fun one can have on a four day holiday but it needed to be done and the results are good.
It has also given me lots of time to listen to music. I’ve been playing with the Spotify playlists this weekend and with mixed results. One that stood out as particularly challenging was the “Radio 1 Weekly playlist”. I was hoping to listen to the Top 40 and find something that I could follow up on, but in reality, it was a bit disappointed. Now, this might be where some might point out that I’m out of touch or getting old, but what happened to the tunes people?! The upside to this, of course, is that in my mind, it reinforces the need for my blog and I can happily get on with writing about the sort of music that I think we should all be listening to.
That said, this weeks album was actually found by my lovely lady… maybe I am losing my touch 😉
It’s hard to write about albums like this without sounding like I’m repeating myself. In essence, it’s kind of a electro pop-rock. Very easy to listen to and lots of foot tapping.
But that doesn’t do this album justice. It’s got more too it than that. It has more attitude and focus. It’s full of… I can’t describe it but it very good. Each track feels like Lights really wants to sing it and that you need to enjoy it. There’s so much confidence and effort that comes through. Listen to track 11, “Flux and Flow”, and tell me it doesn’t make the hairs stick up on end on the back of your neck.
I love it when a tune does that to me and rather than this being a one hit wonder on an average album, I find myself listening to the whole thing on repeat, repeatedly.
Lights voice occasionally has more than a passing resemblance to Diana Vickers (which may be a compliment or a slap in the face), but in my opinion, it’s a good thing. And I find that adds to the depth and character of the album. I should mention at this point that despite Ms Vickers being a semi-finalist on the X Factor, her debut album is actually very good.
Anyway, back to Lights. I’m struggling to explain why I think you should buy and enjoy this album but then here is how Lights very own website describes it :
Siberia‘s beats skitter and thwack, the retro electronics fire like decomposing lasers and the analog synths dirty up her trademark pretty melodies, propelling Lights’ emotion-soaked but still-cute croon into her sprawling, imperfect new sound.
Perhaps I shouldn’t feel too bad about not nailing it. But whatever you do, go and get a copy. You won’t be disappointed!
GGG
(3 out of 4)