What can you say about LORDE? Talented; unique; overrated. Despite being a stan, I can't help but feel that if she were younger she wouldn't be loved anywhere near as much, and that the claims of her being 'arty' and completely ridiculous - she's just as poppy as the rest of us.
It's nice to see, then, to see her finally drop the pretense and produce a lovely pop track for us all to hear. The drop is perfectly placed, the lyrics are a cut above the rest and she keeps it her own with her trademark layered vocals. It may not live up to her excellent Everybody Wants To Rule The World from last year, but it's another great addition to her already brilliant discography.
Lorde is seemingly one of, if not the most talented young artist to enter pop culture in the last year, and after a massive debut this new release shows that she is here to stay. I can't help but be amazed at how perfectly she managed to capture the spirit of the movie as well as the essence of her own music and fuse them together in this song.
Starting out with an a capella, eerie intro and first verse that slowly builds up with an underlying beat, the song eventually breaks into a powerful chorus with a beat drop that is everything. The second verse keeps riding that pumping beat, and one of my favourite parts is how the song dies down again towards the end and when you listen to it on repeat, it turns into an infinite loop where you can't distinguish its beginning and end anymore. It's an ever continuing circle, like life, like The Hunger Games, and you just have to go with it.
Hand in hand with the excellent production and musical structure go the lyrics, telling the story of someone who was weak and oppressed but then rises to power and domination. It's incredible empowering, inspiring, and most of all perfectly relates and reflects the theme and vibe of the movie. And that's coming from someone who has never watched or read The Hunger Games, solely based off of what I've heard about it, when I listen to this song I feel like it represents everything I imagine this movie to be.
It's not often that a soundtrack so perfectly matches the movie, but it is the case here and more even, this song is also strong enough to stand on its own and give us some hints of Lorde's future musical direction, as she managed to stay true to herself and signature sound.
I love this! I don't know why, but this is so much better than Royals and Tennis Court. That chorus is so infectious! Her vocals aren't the best on this track, but they really aren't on her other songs either. I like the beat a lot, too. I can say I was somewhat disappointed, though. Only in the fact that Coldplay's Atlas was such a masterpiece, while this is just... good. It's not great, it's not "okay", it's just good. However, I still like it a lot.
9.5/10 L.A. Love (La La)
I have no idea where to begin. I was never really a fan of Fergie to begin with. I can actually say I disliked a lot of her music up until 2013 (where I completely forgot about it until now. ) But none of them were really as bad as this. First, the "la la la la la" going on in the chorus is annoying as hell. The beat is pretty much the same beat Mustard uses on all of his other songs, which was okay at first (the first few times I heard Show Me and Don't Tell Em), but now it's just gotten really old. Also, the whole "female rapping" thing doesn't really work on Fergie This is easily one of the worst singles released this year. This is really grating on the ears and has such a generic beat.
at the no Modscore for either, but C2C better get that universal acclaim on ATRLcritic.
If I could turn back time switch C2C's ATRLcritic and Metacritic scores.
it's their new single from the re-release of their debut album, "New Eyes". In case you don't know them, they are the same people tha made "Rather Be".
“Little Machines” is the 3rd studio album from Canadian indie-pop singer LIGHTS’ (originally Valerie Poxleitner). It is a much easier listen than it’s predecessor “Siberia”, which was full of hard, dark and edgy synths, but this album is much lighter. It’s definitely a sound that works for her since her departure of space-pop in “The Listening”. Full of sweet, catchy and uptempo tracks, with a mixture of somber and beautiful ballads. “Little Machines” is a really solid album, some songs I like more than others, but I find it an album where I don’t feel the need to skip any songs. I like every song in it’s own way. Vocally, this album is her best. Showcasing her different abilities. A VERY high recommendation and I hope you enjoy the album as much as I do.
Song by song
Standard - 8.5
Deluxe - 8.5
The songs individually give the album an: 8.5
+ a bonus due to the fact that every song on this album is listenable and catchy.
OVERALL SCORE: 9.5
Portal - 8/10
I love the vibe of this song. I used to find it boring and uninteresting, but the more I listen to it, the more I respect and love it. I think it shows off her vocal maturity and the lyrical accompaniment. I don’t love it, and I don’t think it belongs at the front of the album, but it’s definitely a grower.
Running With The Boys - 8/10
I love her voice on this track. The chorus is a little too shout-y for me, but it doesn’t make the song any less awesome. I don’t really get it lyrically, either. I love the arrangement of instrumental. The bridge is the highlight of the song.
Up We Go - 7.5/10
Not my favorite LIGHTS song and not a song i’d choose for a lead, but oh well. It’s a little noisy, but it’s still such a cute song. The lyrics outweigh the production. I love the instrumental as well, but it could have spent more time making it sound less busy.
Same Sea - 8.5/10
Another grower. On my first listen I was kinda over it and I didn’t think I’d ever like it. Now it’s one of my favorites. I still am not a huge fan of the verses, but I think the pre-chorus and chorus make up for them. The “ooo-oooooOH” part is a nice change from what she normally does. The way she matched her vocals in the bridge to the “ooo’s” was brilliant. Love it!
Speeding - 9.5/10
One of my favorites from the very first listen. I love the whole vibe of this song. From beginning to end, it’s catchy and relatable. As the song progresses, I love it more and more. One of my personal highlights of her whole discography.
Muscle Memory - 10/10
My favorite from the album. Hands down. The haunting intro >>. The song evokes an image in your head and I think that is what songs are supposed to do, and she hit the nail on the head. The chorus is so catchy and the verses are just as amazing. I love the use of reverb in this song in contrast to it’s use in other songs. Her voice in this song is also beautiful. I could listen to this song on repeat forever.
Oil And Water - 9.5/10
The track listing could not have been more flawless, packing a triple punch. This song so damn catchy and I love the lyrics. It’s so ethereal and almost atmospheric to listen to. I feel like she could have added a little something to give it “OOMPH”, but I still think the song slays.
Slow Down - 7.5/10
This song is cute. But that’s it’s only attribute. Nothing remarkable, but nothing about it is necessarily bad. I love the chorus, but the verses are kinda just “blah”. Still a great listen and a cute song.
Meteorites - 7.5/10
The only thing about this song is that it sounds like the older cousin of Up We Go. It’s still a good song, though. I love her vocals and lyrics in this song. The chorus is great, and the verses are good. The bridge is kinda “blah” for me. Nothing screams to me in this song.
How We Do It - 8.5/10
I love the aura around this song. It’s so upbeat, catchy and happy. The production is one of my best on the album, IMO. The verses are okay, but the chorus induces at least a little shoulder dance out of me. (aka - I love the chorus). The bridge is nice, too. The change up of the last chorus is also a cute little change. Shame it’s such a short song.
Don't Go Home Without Me - 9/10
Lyrically, the first verse alone slays so many discographies. It’s a nice and mellow track to contrast the upbeat “How We Do It”. It invokes so much imagery and you find yourself daydreaming along with the song. Vocally, it has it’s ups and downs. The bridge is an example of the ups. Such a feel-good song that at the end, makes you feel a little happier than you did before.
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Child - 6.5/10
The verses are nice, but the chorus is kinda shrill and loud. It induces some sort of nostalgia. Probably the weakest song on the album, but I don’t hate it by any means. It’s just kinda there for me. Yet, it doesn’t feel like filler, I feel like it belongs on the album.
Lucky Ones - 10/10
The instrumental slays. Her vocals slay. The lyrics slay. I love the deeper register she uses in this song. It separates this song from the rest of the album, in a very good way. The chorus gives me goosebumps. Along with Muscle Memory, it was a favorite since the first listen. Something I could listen on repeat for a while. Every aspect of this song makes me love it.
From All Sides - 9/10
You can tell by the opening 10 seconds of the song, that this not gonna be anything like LIGHTS’ previous works, or even yet, nothing like anything else on the album. It is an epic closing song. I love how she showcases her vocals this album. It feels kinda long, but maybe it’s just cause I can’t wait to go listen to Muscle Memory or Lucky Ones again. I love the acoustic ending. Not like anything I’ve heard before on a major release. Slain.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Muscle Memory, Oil And Water, Lucky Ones
Since I started kinda liking "Team", I thought that maybe I could like some of her new material. Sadly, I just cannot like her music yet. I'm not fond of songs that start out with vocals, so there is strike 1. Strike 2 are those ugly long notes. Strike 3 is that this song sounds like a compilation of what we've already heard from Lorde (sans Royals). It doesn't evoke an emotion out of me, make me think or show artistic growth- which is the main problem I have. Not trying to take a swing at her talents or abilities, though.
If this song was chosen as the leading single, I have no hope for the rest of the OST.
C- 7/10
This song is passable at best. The recycled DJ Mustard beat that we've heard since Rack City pretty much killed the song for me from the get go. The awkward pacing and awkward lyrics just make it worse. By the time the chorus came around I was already over the song. Her vocals are decent, but kinda make me cringe during the pre-chorus. I also do not like songs that just list cities. I find it profoundly annoying and basic. Hopefully she'll pull a Hilary and say that it's just a promo single because I don't see this smashing.
Lights is back with her new album, Little Machines, and it is definitely infused with mechanizing tracks that transcends through space and time. Keeping it direct, this album takes you back in the 80s, even if you were still in the point of conception at the time, or probably just on thoughts of being conceived.
Up We Go may not be the perfect representation of the whole direction of the album, but when the album is played all throughout, there's one thing that is meant to be noticed - cohesiveness. Lights' albums, although each of them has its own sound, tend to be distinctive. The Listening was cute, Siberia was gloomy, and Little Machines is a bit of a combination of two. With that said, this album also has a sound of its own, separating itself from its predecessors.
Lights may have been changing her music and image constantly, but this is just one of the best things about her.
Highlights: Portal, The Same Sea, Speeding, Oil & Water, Don't Go Home Without Me.
) But none of them were really as bad as this. First, the "la la la la la" going on in the chorus is annoying as hell. The beat is pretty much the same beat Mustard uses on all of his other songs, which was okay at first (the first few times I heard Show Me and Don't Tell Em), but now it's just gotten really old. Also, the whole "female rapping" thing doesn't really work on Fergie 
Song by song
