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Special Event: atrlcritic | Ed Sheeran's new songs after the upgrade
Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 27,248
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Quote:
Originally posted by Lil Misty
Lets do Kimbra's album  |
Yes please! 
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Member Since: 2/20/2012
Posts: 24,225
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La Roux
Trouble in Paradise
3.5/5
La Roux has been missed for five long years. And it's understandable considering the act's debut is so good! Finally, La Roux is back with Trouble in Paradise. The first track "Uptight Downtown" also serves as the lead single and proves to be a danceable number, gliding along on the pleasantness of Elly's airy vocals (which are actually present throughout most of the album). A few tracks, such as "Kiss and Not Tell" and "The Feeling" display a dip in quality for a couple reasons; "Kiss and Not Tell" relies too heavily on its video game-sounding production to actually have a memorable hook, and "The Feeling" is dragged down by its muddled arrangement.
Luckily, Elly finds her stride midway through the album with "Sexotheque," a track that describes a relationship in which the guy leaves at night to visit the local "sexotheque," a portmanteau word of sex and discotheque. Another nice cut, "Silent Partner" surprisingly doesn't overstay its welcome at seven minutes; built around a simple bass riff and vocal harmony, the song remains interesting throughout and doesn't stop until the listener's had enough. On tracks like these, Elly displays a sort of confidence and fierceness that seemed to be more present on the duo's debut. It's not bad that some of the songs here are more mellowing; artistic growth and evolution are both great, but when her voice is able to complement her producer's beats with an equal amount of aggressiveness and command, La Roux is not only at its catchiest, but its best.
Skip: "Kiss and Not Tell," "The Feeling"
Skip to: "Sexotheque," "Tropical Chancer"
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Member Since: 2/27/2012
Posts: 12,567
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La Roux – Trouble In Paradise
Trouble in Paradise is such an apt title for La Roux’s long-awaited sophomore effort. While the title manifests itself in the record’s lyrical themes, it also becomes ironically accurate when contemplating what went on during the five year time lapse between their debut and now. After the release of the duo’s eponymous debut album, the two seemed to be living in a musician’s paradise. The record was met with critical and commercial success, spawned a couple hit singles, and even won the duo a Grammy. Sometime between those blissful moments and the release of Trouble in Paradise, one half of the original group, Ben Langmaid, left the project. Additionally, let’s not forget the turbulence that may have culminated this departure: creative differences, unsuccessful collaborations, and the cancellation of two planned release dates. The paradise that engulfed the project soon began to harbor much trouble.
This rockiness that ostensibly lead up to Trouble in Paradise unfortunately bled into the music, as multiple issues arise throughout the course of the record. Immediately on “Uptight Downtown”, we are greeted by Elly Jackson’s distancing vocal filters, bound to only be liked by a select few listeners. Troubles regarding Jackson’s distinctive vocals are recurrent on the record. The saccharine ballad “Paradise Is You” features totally washed out vocals from the singer, completely overtaken by the track’s instrumentation. “The Feeling” exhibits Jackson at her shrillest, most cringe-worthy offering yet. “Silent Partner” is a fun number with vintage production in which Jackson desperately cries out for silence, as if she wants the all-too-long, seven minute track to finally end. Perhaps the saddest of all, Elly's icy emotional detachment from what she's singing on the record really causes a setback. It's as if she's watching as a third party observer and forgetting to inject her own personality and feelings into the songs. Coupled with the formulaic song construction, its issues like these that really spell out “trouble” for the record.
However, the album is ultimately saved from any impending doom by La Roux’s commendable knowledge on how to craft a superb pop song. The cut “Tropical Chancer” is devoid of any annoying vocal issues and turns out to be a catchy tune – the Caribbean-inspired, tropical synths provide a gratifying contrast to lyrics which describe complications with an apathetic, leech-like lover. The lead single, "Let Me Down Gently", provides possibly the album’s biggest and greatest moment, in which all of Jackson’ s relationship turmoil is spearheaded into a glorious classic disco crescendo. Still, these brighter spots on the album are matched by the issues described before, leaving us with an effort that’s not as exciting or striking as the duo’s debut. Despite this, I look forward to what La Roux as a newfound solo act can bring to the table now that difficulties between Langmaid and Jackson will be nothing but history.
6.2/10
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Member Since: 8/18/2013
Posts: 10,912
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 | LA ROUX - TROUBLE IN PARADISE
RATE: 7 out of 10
HIGHLIGHTS: Silent Partner, Tropical Chancer
LOWLIGHTS: The Feeling, Kiss And Not Tell |
________"Trouble In Paradise" opens up with "Uptight Downtown", a loud dance number bearing a lot of resemblance to her breakout single in 2009, Bulletproof. It's a cute song, and while I do enjoy it thoroughly, it's a very misleading first impression of the album. Paradise is far from an upbeat, synth heavy record filled with banger after banger. The album abruptly changes gears when the next track, "Kiss And Not Tell," begins. It introduces the summery, breezy vibe of the rest of the LP, but in my opinion, the song screams 'filler.' Elly could have done the transition from her old sound to her new sound much better. "Cruel Sexuality" is when the album gets a tad bit better, but there is still nothing about it that makes me scream 'wow' and want to replay the song all day long. The only part of the song that I love is the catchy yet repetitive chorus. The next song, "Paradise Is You," is a warm, down-tempo ballad and definitely is my favorite song thus far. The production is great around the 3:15 mark through the end of the song, and the lyrics are simple yet stellar. Track number five, "Sexotheque," is one of the album's highlights. The lyrics fit the album's title perfectly; the man is in paradise at a club known as 'Sexotheque' (could it be the strip club of the same name located in Montreal, Canada?) while his girlfriend/wife finds that to be nothing but trouble. The production is extremely beach-y, and it sounds like what I was expecting from the album's beautiful, vibrant cover. The only flaw that I can find in the song is that her vocals are slightly muffled. From the moment the aestival sounding "Tropical Chancer" started playing, I knew that it would be one of my favorites on the album. It shares all of the same qualities as the previous track, but it does them five times better. The song's production and infectious chorus make me picture myself lounging on the beach, soaking in the heat as the waves crash against the exuberant, bubbly kids playing in the water and turn the sand a darker brown. If only this was the album's opener! "Silent Partner" is unarguably my favorite on the album; it grabs you in from the very first second you hear her vocals. This would have been the perfect transition between "Uptight Downtown" and "Kiss And Not Tell" as it has both tropical elements and 80s-esque synth pop traits. I did not even notice that the song was seven minutes long until I checked the length after the album was finished playing through. Although it is somewhat repetitive, there is something about it that keeps sounding fresh and new the more you listen to it. Oddly enough, the two minute outro adds something to the song that makes it even greater than it already was. After Elly shout-sings the last part of the song, the album quickly changes into the slow, minimalistic break-up anthem "Let Me Down Gently" which is essentially the better version of "Paradise Is You" production-wise. It continues to build up and get bigger as the sold progresses which I love. The album's closing song, "The Feeling" is a euphonic blend of new wave and bubblegum pop, but is a weak track compared to the previous songs. I think that Ms. Jackson could have selected a better song to wrap up the album. It left me wanting more and not in a good way. It could be because Elly produced the song by herself, and we all know how self produced songs turn out (see Lana Del Rey's "Guns and Roses").
________Overall, "Trouble In Paradise" is a fantastic, solid sophomore effort once you get past the four underwhelming tracks in the beginning of the album. I am a tad bit disappointed in La Roux for only putting nine songs on the tracklist; we have waited so many years for a new album and we get practically nothing! Not to mention three of the songs were released as singles months before the LP was even released, but in the end, the quality of the songs is what matters. Elly Jackson definitely delivered an abundance of magnificent tracks despite all of the troubles she endured during the album making process because of her her co-member, Ben Langmaid, leaving the group. I would highly recommend it!
Purchase the album for only $7.99 here!
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 43,104
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Why are y'all dragging the bop that is Kiss and Tell? 
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Member Since: 1/1/2013
Posts: 13,978
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Quote:
Originally posted by ClarksonSlays
Why are y'all dragging the bop that is Kiss and Tell? |
Ikr? Perfect little pop confection. MY summer jam.
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Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 27,248
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Quote:
Originally posted by ClarksonSlays
Why are y'all dragging the bop that is Kiss and Tell? |
RIGHTT?! The best song off the album tbh 
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Member Since: 10/18/2010
Posts: 29,224
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THIS WEEK:
LA ROUX - TROUBLE IN PARADISE
Sometimes I wish I was born around the 80s; I would've really enjoyed being a part of the new wave/electro/glam rock generation. However, it's always great to hear music from those who have been a part of that generation and bring it back for the current generation. La Roux takes us back to a time of outrageous colors and crazy hair and makes it somehow fit into the current music crowd.
I really enjoyed getting a feeling of unknowing nostalgia through this; it was almost like living in the era of Eurythmics and David Bowie for just a few minutes. Stemming from what I've heard from La Roux before, this was a welcomed change to their usual curve of electronic-pop music.
The album starts off strong with an array of catchy melodies and easy to follow rhythms. "Uptight Downtown" is a solid album opener with it's funky guitar riffs and blistering horn blasts; it sets the sound of the album quite well, but what really shines is the next song What could be described as a undercover hit, "Kiss and Not Tell" has the makings of a bonafide summer classic! Probably the catchiest hooks in the entire album, this song fills you with a happiness unlike any other. It sounds like it was directly plucked from a pre-Kylie Minogue '90 album! This album is just filled with gems for the last days of summer!
One highlight I felt really got my attention was "Sexotheque". A very interesting song at first, it starts off very simple with nothing but a drum pattern and a soundtrack-ladened horn/xylophone pattern, but then the hook comes in! This could be the next "no-good-cheating-husband/boyfriend" anthem for women all around the world! I could just picture some wife looking at the clock tapping her sensible shoes thinking "I bet money, money, money, I bet he's at the sexotheque"! It's so damn fun to listen to!
I believe my favorite song might be "Silent Partner"! If Kim Wilde ever wondered where her one of her missing hits were, Elly Jackson found a way to go back in time, steal the sheet music and lyric sheet from her while they were taping "Kids in America" and came back here to claim it as hers. This might be the best synthpop throwback I've heard in a long while. With the square synths and pulsing bass lines, this song has an addictive beat and a very easy to sing-along melody and lyric. You'd never recognize this song was 7 minutes unless you were literally looking at the time tick away.
However, while this song has many ups comes it downs; specifically "Paradise Is You". While I appreciate the nostalgia factor up to a 10, this kind of style of 80s pop could've been left off. Maybe it's the simplistic and unoriginal lyrics, or the weird pronunciation of "paradise is you", but I just know this song is a sleeper; not a sleeper hit, just a sleeper.
And I have to admit I like that Jackson is doing it on her own now, but I think she needed some kind of assistance with "The Feeling"! For an album closer, it doesn't fit; there's nothing spectacular about it, and the song, despite being the third-shortest song on this album, drags for me. It's just too forgettable and her voice doesn't really shine as well as it should've. I believe the song needed something more or some kind of switch to be what it properly should've been.
La Roux wasn't always a band (not soloist) I use to pay attention to. I'll admit, I only have listened to singles by the former band, but an album like this has me paying more attention than I have. I think it always should've been like this. La Roux never felt like a Phantogram or Karmin, but more of a Elly Jackson with a producer trying to get his name out as well. Now with no tie, Elly has her time to shine more. Here's hoping her earlier stint doesn't reflect badly, because we need more albums like this.
Highlights: Sexotheque / Silent Partner ★
Lowlights: Paradise Is You / Tropical Chancer / The Feeling
Album Score: 8.1/10
Final say: Would definitely recommend this album be played at a retro party on repeat! Whatever trouble there was in paradise, I'm glad she found a way out of it!
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Member Since: 8/16/2012
Posts: 14,988
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Let's do Pixie Lott's album next please, it's out august 4th. 
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Member Since: 10/18/2010
Posts: 29,224
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I don't understand why we can't do multiple albums yet. I mean, more than one album will be released each week. Why abandon ones we pass? Let's have at least two to work on.
EDIT: I meant "week", but you get my gist.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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Quote:
Originally posted by Nait Phoenix
I don't understand why we can't do multiple albums yet. I mean, more than one album will be released each year. Why abandon ones we pass? Let's have at least two to work on.
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Member Since: 9/9/2012
Posts: 59,872
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La Roux — Trouble In Paradise
July 27, 2014
Summary: The second full-length release for the British synthpop artist Elly Jackson (Ben Langmaid left the band during the recording of the album) was co-produced with Ian Sherwin.
Genre(s): Pop, Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, New Wave/Post-Punk Revival, Left-Field Pop
Release Date: July 22, 2014
Tracklist:
1. Uptight Downtown
2. Kiss and Not Tell
3. Cruel Sexuality
4. Paradise Is You
5. Sexotheque
6. Tropical Chancer
7. Silent Partner
8. Let Me Down Gently
9. The Feeling
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| TRACK | TITLE | RATING | | 1. | Uptight Downtown | 4/10 | | 2. | Kiss and Not Tell | 5/10 | | 3. | Cruel Sexuality | 2.5/10 | | 4. | Paradise Is You | 2/10 | | 5. | Sexotheque | 2/10 | | 6. | Tropical Chancer | 2/10 | | 7. | Silent Partner | 2/10 | | 8. | Let Me Down Gently | 2/10 | | 9. | The Feeling | 3/10 |
2.7 out of 10
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Member Since: 4/22/2012
Posts: 33,490
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I really don't like the way some people generalize in their reviews.
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Member Since: 12/4/2010
Posts: 37,894
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~24 HOUR NOTICE
You have roughly 24 hours to get in any last minute reviews.
The final score for La Roux - 'Trouble in Paradise' will be tabulated and posted tomorrow.
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Member Since: 5/16/2012
Posts: 12,486
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Sorry to jump the gun a bit, but when will we know which album we are reviewing next?
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Member Since: 8/6/2012
Posts: 5,333
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Quote:
Originally posted by Aatthew
Sorry to jump the gun a bit, but when will we know which album we are reviewing next? |
I was just checking out the upcoming album calendar on Metacritic and the next main album releases are towards the end of August, with Kimbra, Wiz Khalifa and Ariana Grande. I don't think the releases prior to these would garner much interest and in tern gain many reviews. (Unless there are any sudden album drops by more mainstream artist's in August, highly unlikely, but after Beyoncé you cannot count anything out.)
It could actually turn out for the best, as currently it seems that there is an influx in singles being released. If there were albums being reviewed around these it could get extremely overwhelming for the mods and members.
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Member Since: 12/4/2010
Posts: 37,894
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La Roux - 'Trouble in Paradise' La Roux is not typically a musical group that I would be inclined to listen to. I don't know much about Elly Jackson or her estranged musical partner Ben Langmaid. I'm familiar with their 2010 smash "Bulletproof," but I had no idea what to expect with 'Trouble in Paradise.' Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. The electronic synthpop sound of "Bulletproof" is still present, but the use of guitar present in many of the tracks on this album creates a much more organic feel to the music. The production is fabulous, certainly the most impressive aspect of the album. It manages to be feel nostalgic while remaining undeniably fresh.
The production is very consistent and similar throughout the album, but while that was Sia's '1000 Forms of Fear' Achilles' heel, it's 'Trouble in Paradise''s strong suit. The songs sound connected and complementary without becoming indistinguishable. Despite the similar production, songs like "Uptight Downtown," "Kiss And Not Tell," and "Sexotheque" are still able to shine and shine brightly. The album's real downfall is the lack of attention to vocals. Elly Jackson's vocals take a clear backseat to the production, to the point of sounding like a complete afterthought. This in turn causes the lyrics and any thought or meaning that they convey to become lost in the shuffle. Nevertheless, Jackson's casual and breezy vocals do compliment the music wonderfully. 'Trouble in Paradise' sounds fun, light, and airy—the perfect soundtrack to a wonderful summer.
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Member Since: 10/2/2011
Posts: 43,174
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La Roux - Trouble in Paradise
7.7/10
Trouble in Paradise has its shine in pop catchy tunes and hooks. The long waiting was worth it, even if we're not on the level of their debut.
Cheerful tracks like Kiss and Not Tell and Tropical Chancer managed to be light-hearted but yet not empty of meaning. The 80s (un)inspired synth carries even the longest songs on the album without getting you bored (i.e. SIlent Partner). Nothing revolutionary but still built in a pleasant way and this give it a pass.
The other highlight, after the production, as I already said, is the accurate crafting of the hooks. They get stuck in your head with an ease that I haven't heard in latest releases for quite a while.
The only track I didn't get is, unfortunately, put as the closer for the album. In The Feeling Elly tried to lay a not-so-well performed falsetto (or just annoying) over a weak ballad. It just ruins the whole experience of the tracks before it.
So, except some minor flaws in the production and the bad choice of including the closer on the tracklist, I think Trouble in Paradise is a very well-done pop album with a substantial quality that, without properly bringing anything new to the table, stands out amongst the latest releases of the same genre. Perfect summer release to blast in your car without a care! 
Highlights: Uptight Downtown, Kiss and Not Tell, Sexotheque, Tropical Chancer, Silent Partner
Lowlights: The Feeling
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Member Since: 5/16/2012
Posts: 12,486
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Quote:
Originally posted by Kane
I was just checking out the upcoming album calendar on Metacritic and the next main album releases are towards the end of August, with Kimbra, Wiz Khalifa and Ariana Grande. I don't think the releases prior to these would garner much interest and in tern gain many reviews. (Unless there are any sudden album drops by more mainstream artist's in August, highly unlikely, but after Beyoncé you cannot count anything out.)
It could actually turn out for the best, as currently it seems that there is an influx in singles being released. If there were albums being reviewed around these it could get extremely overwhelming for the mods and members. |
Yeah, that sounds good! Thanks bae!
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Member Since: 9/18/2011
Posts: 5,330
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How could I'd missed this thread for so long?
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