When I first read descriptions of Canadian singer-songwriter LIGHTS' third album,
Little Machines, I immediately got excited to listen to it. I love great synthpop that I can just listen to to make me happy at any time. It turns out that there are a few tracks on
Little Machines that are like that. Let's get straight into the review- the album kicks off with
Portal, which is one of the most interesting songs I've listened to lately. A soft, captivating, synthy intro kicks off the song, followed by Lights' delicate vocals. I was really getting into the melodies, and the unconventional structure (no chorus) worked really well. It was haunting yet beautiful. Definitely one of the best songs on the album, but I do feel like a big chorus near the end would have driven it home. It's really good, but it could have been so much better.
Running With The Boys was an immediate change of pace with its synth-and-drum machine instrumental. The first verse is very synth-poppy, but the chorus is anthemic and pure power-pop, especially with the prominent guitar. As the 2nd verse and 2nd chorus ran their course, I did not get bored. This is joyful pop executed well.
Up We Go, which was rightfully chosen as the lead single from
Little Machines, is brilliant. The instrumental is perfect. The electro-synths (is that a word?), hard-hitting drums, and electric guitar in the background coalesce beautifully to create happy, rousing verses. The melodies are super-catchy, and the chorus is flawless. If this smashed in the U.S., I'd be ecstatic. It's definitely what Lights was going for on this album, and she achieved it here. The bridge is great as well. A second final chorus would have been nice, but I'm certainly not complaining. This song does not feel like a rushed 2:51 track. Instead, those 2 minutes and 51 seconds are jam packed with excellent pop, making it feel like the perfect length. Of course, one can rarely follow up such a tremendous song with an equally great song, and
Little Machines is no exception.
Same Sea is the first misstep on the album. The beat is slightly faster than the others on the album, but that's not the problem. The prechorus is okay and the synths are nice, but the breakdown feels out of place and an attempt to sound "cool." It's unnecessary, and this is a very mediocre song that is bland and is filler.
Speeding, the fifth track on the album, begins with another really catchy synth-pop instrumental. The melodies are poppy and nice, but I wish the chorus differentiated a bit more from the verses. Lights' vocals are very good here, and her little high notes work perfectly. Even at 3:27 though, I got a bit bored towards the end. This does not detract from the fact that this is a good synth-pop track.
Muscle Memory follows with an even synthier beat than most of the album. Unfortunately, this song is monotonous and nothing new. There is nothing of note here and this is also filler. I really started to worry after I heard
Oil And Water. The song is quieter and more downtempo, but it again is quite forgettable. Lights uses more of her lower range vocally, and it's pretty good. The song is decent overall, but again feels like filler.
Slow Down is a slight improvement over the last two songs, with a lighthearted and fun yet slightly reserved hook. The verses aren't that great, though, and feel unnecessary (which they shouldn't). The bridge is cool with the "ooh"'s, though. This track follows the same pattern most of the songs on
Little Machines do, but it's actually okay.
Meteorites is next with a synth line that sounds exactly like
Up We Go (
). Nevertheless, the beat is good. Like most of the choruses on the album, this chorus is very good and catchy. However, I'd have to say that this track felt safe to me. Although it is a bit similar to
Up We Go, it is still good and better than all of this filler that I've encountered in the middle of the album.
How We Do It, the penultimate song, has a quicker pace. It is straight up synth-pop, and I don't have too much to say about it. It's par for the course on
Little Machines, and it's not bad at all. There's nothing that stands out on this song. The chorus isn't incredibly catchy, the instrumental isn't standout, and Lights' vocals are decent but nothing special. This song epitomizes filler on
Little Machines. It's really too bad that the album had to go out on a bit of a whimper with
Don't Go Home Without Me. This final song is much more downtempo and sincere, like many album closers are. It's unremarkable and forgettable. Everything about it screams "disposable electro-pop."
Despite the underwhelming second half of the album, there are a handful of great songs on
Little Machines. Most of the choruses are great; they're happy, innocent, and so catchy. The melodies are upbeat and pleasant, and a lot of the instrumental are synth-pop gold. These songs are dreamy, euphoric, and beautiful. And then there is the filler. The filler is what makes this album more of a mixed bag. If you're going to make a whole album of straight up synth-pop, you have to realize it'll take a Herculean effort to make none of the songs skippable. Subsequently, I wasn't that surprised when I found around 3-5 of the songs to be very forgettable and unremarkable.
Nonetheless,
Little Machines is an enjoyable pop album, and a few of the songs definitely deserve to become big hits. Sometimes you're just looking for a few songs to make you feel good, and
Little Machines has those.
Reviews:
Drake - 0 to 100 / The Catch Up (4.0)
La Roux - Trouble In Paradise (2.3)
Azealia Banks - Heavy Metal and Reflective (2.0)
Jessie J, Ariana Grande, & Nicki Minaj - Bang Bang (5.8)
Hilary Duff - Chasing The Sun (0.5)
Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga - Anything Goes (4.9)
Nicki Minaj - Anaconda (2.0)
Beyoncé f/Nicki Minaj - ***Flawless Remix (3.7)
Pixie Lott - Pixie Lott (6.0)
FKA Twigs - LP1 (1.7)
Hilary Duff - All About You (4.1)
Taylor Swift - Shake It Off (7.1)
Charli XCX - Break The Rules (4.6)
Ariana Grande - My Everything (5.2)
Maroon 5 - V (5.4)
Banks - Goddess (8.2)
Calvin Harris f/John Newman - Blame (8.6)
Lorde - Yellow Flicker Beat (8.8)
Fergie - L.A.LOVE (la la) (2.5)
LIGHTS - Little Machines (6.7)
