The albums continues with a track called Kiss and not Tell which reminds me of a cartoon intro song or the old Nintendo game songs. We're going down and I'm not yelling Timber.
La Roux - Trouble in Paradise: 8/10
Just in time for summer, La Roux has given us her second album “Trouble in Paradise”. It contains nine tracks and sees Elly move on from her original, heavily 80s inspired style to a more sophisticated and lighter sound. Her falsetto and catchy melodies are still there, however it all sounds a bit more laid back and less hectic than her debut, thanks to the tropical beats that allow you to either dance or sit back an dream, whichever mood you are in.
Despite the shortness of the album, there is a comfortable balance between slower songs (Paradise is You) and upbeat dancefloor fillers (Sexotheque), the latter being my personal favourite track with a chorus that practically forces you to sing along (all that MONEYMONEYMONEY!). While I find that the lyrics are still somewhat of a weakness for Elly - they just seem a bit too simple a lot of times - I do think she has shown some growth musically. Take for example Silent Partner, a song that slowly builds up tension to subsequently be released in a 2 minute outro, dominated by synths and a beat reminiscent of Michael Sembello’s Maniac.
Cruel Sexuality also shines with an extended ending, the beat fading in and out as Elly’s vocals are looped, allowing the listener to get lost in the tune and its dreamy atmosphere. It is a tricky thing, finding just the right point where to end a song, because people’s attention can be lost so quickly if it drags on for too long; however, Elly managed to get it just right here, also thanks to the airy production that is always endearing and never overwhelming.
Whether you actually are on a sunny beach or just dreaming of it, stuck in a concrete jungle, this album could be the perfect soundtrack for you - it’s the essence of summer in audible form, and once you get into it, you will find it as refreshing as a cool breeze in the heat.
Trouble in Paradise by La Roux
Going into the album, I was definitely in my feelings over La Roux. She had recently said something unkind and obviously untrue about Kanye West recently and then I was turned further off after listening to her debut album La Roux (2009) for the first time. Almost five years later, her debut sounds basic and dated including her breakout hit “Bulletproof” which still does have a great deal of replay value despite sounding cheap
I was rather surprised by how refreshing La Roux’s latest album Trouble in Paradise is. The first forty seconds of the opening track “Uptight Downtown” alone is better than the bulk of La Roux production-wise. Her vocals on the track, as well as the rest of the album, sound distant at times like a nervous talent show contestant forgetting that the mic needs to be near his lips for his voice to be picked up. It is still a decent song even though the track sounds like a rough demo that Pharrell Williams and Ed Sheeran threw in the trash can in favor of "Sing".
The album takes a turn for the better with the standout track "Paradise Is You". The song in both its lyrics and production creates beautiful imagery of paradise and it is topped off by a simple but very romantic chorus. While not being too cheesy or cliché, La Roux succeeds in crafting a song that really captures that feeling of loving someone so much that the person becomes your everything or “paradise".
Other album gems include "Sexotheque", "Tropical Chancer", and "Silent Partner".
Trouble in Paradise is not a revolutionary album nor is it something that everyone can enjoy, but it is a step in the right direction for La Roux. I’d love for her to continue putting out this type of material, but I do understand if she does not feel confident that this is “her sound” and tries something different with her follow up album.
If this is "trouble in paradise," then someone needs to make Elly Jackson's paradise even worse. If a little trouble gives us an album this great, then we should see how much more La Roux has to offer.
La Roux's breakup album - the breakup between lead singer Elly Jackson and producer Ben Langmaid - strolls through the avenues of troubled bliss. Jackson doesn't sound as convicted as Hayley Williams did on Paramore's parallel breakup album last year, but Jackson manages to twist her and Langmaid's relationship into several perspectives. Elly gets on her knees for the slow burner Let Me Down Gently, while taking jabs in the seven-minute epic Silent Partner.
The album's nine tracks all of single potential, but only two have even the slightest hit potential: the guitar driven first single Uptight Downtown, and the giddy Kiss and Not Tell. The latter is the closest Jackson gets back to La Roux's electro-gem Bulletproof, with an irresistible synth riff.
At 9 tracks and 5 years of work, Jackson definitely didn't rush the album, or put her apples in to too many baskets, and it certainly payed off. The 9 tracks all work well to create a very cohesive album. Closing track The Feeling may be the only undeserved track, and it's still comfortably wrapped into the albums story.
While we all hope not to have to wait half a decade for new music from the new solo act, it's comforting to know that if she is taking her time, it is completely worth it.
"Oh, you make me happy in my every day life, why must you keep me in your prison at night?"
Just in time for the summery feelings the album presents, La Roux is back with their sophomore album after about 5 years of time in between. In contrast to their loud and popular-at-the-time synth-pop debut, Trouble in Paradise could have been a disco record in the 80’s.
La Roux WAS a collaborative effort from Elly Jackson (the singer, but she does more than just sing) + Ben Langmaid (the producer), but Ben split in the middle of recording the album because of a fight over a “sweet guitar riff.” Oops. Don’t be fooled though; half of the album still has credits on the album. Although it looks like he only has it for co-writing, this album isn’t solely Elly’s work, so I will continue to refer to “La Roux” as a duo.
Going back to the album, it sounds like Nile Rogers could have been playing the guitar on every single track. The first time I heard Tropical Chancer I could have SWORN he was on it, which it isn’t. However, it samples a Grace Jones song, so close enough. Elly plays the part of the bitchy friend of a girl in a relationship almost too well in super catchy Sexotheque. Paradise Is You is the only ballad on the album and it’s a beautiful calling out to someone special that fits perfectly in the middle of 8 other jams.
Silent Partner is the longest song at seven minutes and it’s a fun little number that you’ll be shaking your shoulders to. Uptight Downtown is the opening track that shows some remnants of Elly’s ability to do pop music justice, and is kind of the other side of Tropical Chancer (or the other way around whatever you prefer). Let Me Down Gently is probably lyrically the best track and the production is the most interesting, with a cool guitar solo thrown in towards the three-and-a-half minute mark.
The album isn’t without fault, though. The album utilized its strong cohesiveness, but sacrifices repetition issues in the process, both lyrically and in the production. A lot of the choruses are the title being said over and over and the formula of a lot of songs becomes generally predictable. Also, the vocal production is pretty bad and you can barely hear Elly. I’ve been told by some that this is to make it “seem like an old record” and I kinda get that, but it just makes the album feel like it’s in bad quality. These issues don’t hinder the album enough to make it unbearable, though.
La Roux, the debut album, honestly felt a bit like a singles-album mixed along with random songs to fill an album. It wasn’t entirely that way like other albums, but that’s the feel I personally get when I listen to the album. Trouble in Paradise is more interesting and well-structured. It’s a lovely return for La Roux and assuming Elly will be flying solo from now on, it’s rather exciting to see what her next step will be.
8.3/10
★★★★★★★★✩✩
Top Tracks: Uptight Downtown, Paradise Is You, Sexotheque, Tropical Chancer
Comparing La Roux’s recently released Trouble In Paradise to that of their debut is somewhat of a stretch. While La Roux was bold, eclectic, and synth-heavy, Paradise opts for a laid-back groovy late ‘70s summer feel – ultimately a move that comes with pros and cons.
A quick look at the intensely colourful album cover essentially gives you a taste for what’s to come with the music. It’s bright and warm but with a bold strength best reinforced through a combination of Jackson’s pose and her facial expression. Paradise is breezy; it feels light and clear with an atmospheric summertime feel, but is contrasted through stronger lyrical themes that address both longing, romance, and heartbreak. As the album progresses it gradually gets both sexier and better. The lyrics begin to align themselves better with the production and it all seems to come through together into a focused concept.
Looking into the songs themselves, opening track and lead single “Uptight Downtown” is effective in getting the point across but ultimately falls in comparison to some of the more streamlined songs on the album. Similarly, “Kiss And Not Tell” deals with those simplistic almost monotonous lyrics that drag the album down and while catchy, ends up going nowhere. After a somewhat slow start the album begins to pick up by the fourth track – “Paradise Is You” – wherein the concept of the album is best illustrated. There is a fluid combination of what paradise actually is, demonstrated through tropical, mellow beats and funky production techniques, with lyrical intrigue or ‘trouble’. This continues on through the middle section with songs like “Sexotheque”, a thumping sexy but mysterious track, or “Tropical Chancer”, a definitely tropical track with groovy electronic almost sci-fi production, which feel like knock-out tracks.
While the middle of the album really has the best tracks, it gradually falls again towards the second-to last track – an electronic ballad-type that seemingly sits there lacking any of the charm that was built up from the tracks preceding. The album closer may unfortunately be the worst track from the album as it feels like it drags on forever with Jackson’s normally airy vocals sounding like a gas leak. That’s the thing; it is ultimately a toss-up where for every great track there is a bland, repetitive vessel of nothingness (which I guess could reinforce the paradise theme now that I think about it).
It feels as though each and every aspect to this album was carefully calculated to create a concept and run it through with great enthusiasm. It’s that concept that I think I love even more than the actual music itself. Jackson is great at sticking with a concept and working well to get it ingrained. Lyrically it may falter at times, but there are stand out moments where Jackson works on more emotional aspects of heartbreak and yearning that work easily. That tropical smooth feel works like a weird contrast between these heavy-hitting lyrics – groovy danceable beats that make you feel like everything will be alright but are ultimately covering up stronger feelings – the trouble with paradise. But really, I could only see myself listening to this once, maybe twice, and at the end of the day a concept only gets you so far.
Favourite tracks: Paradise Is You, Sexotheque, Tropical Chancer
Trouble in Paradise by La Roux
Going into the album, I was definitely in my feelings over La Roux. She had recently said something unkind and obviously untrue about Kanye West recently and then I was turned further off after listening to her debut album La Roux (2009) for the first time. Almost five years later, her debut sounds basic and dated including her breakout hit “Bulletproof” which still does have a great deal of replay value despite sounding cheap
I was rather surprised by how refreshing La Roux’s latest album Trouble in Paradise is. The first forty seconds of the opening track “Uptight Downtown” alone is better than the bulk of La Roux production-wise. Her vocals on the track, as well as the rest of the album, sound distant at times like a nervous talent show contestant forgetting that the mic needs to be near his lips for his voice to be picked up. It is still a decent song even though the track sounds like a rough demo that Pharrell Williams and Ed Sheeran threw in the trash can in favor of "Sing".
The album takes a turn for the better with the standout track "Paradise Is You". The song in both its lyrics and production creates beautiful imagery of paradise and it is topped off by a simple but very romantic chorus. While not being too cheesy or cliché, La Roux succeeds in crafting a song that really captures that feeling of loving someone so much that the person becomes your everything or “paradise".
Other album gems include "Sexotheque", "Tropical Chancer", and "Silent Partner".
Trouble in Paradise is not a revolutionary album nor is it something that everyone can enjoy, but it is a step in the right direction for La Roux. I’d love for her to continue putting out this type of material, but I do understand if she does not feel confident that this is “her sound” and tries something different with her follow up album.
Great formatting, I know you said that this was what was taking you so long! Definitely worth it, it seems. I don't think I've seen anyone who has had formatting as good as this so far. Just remember that all scores have to be out of 10, 5, 4 or letter grade.