I approached this record wanting to immediately dislike it. All of the hipster/lana stan e-hype with the immediate intentionally off putting cover art had me immediately dismiss it as the average vapid all image no-substance "indie" chick. But i was absolutely wrong. The album is gorgeous, Heartfelt lyrics, minimalist yet bold production, bearing resemblance to bjork or radiohead circa amnesiac. Her vocal delivery is a dead ringer for aaliyah, just a bit more airy and understated. Reading through many of the reviews in this thread a constant critique that it lacks melody and song structure, a problem that i was waiting to find.. and literally was left waiting. The songs all of such strong melodies and booming chorus', its so hard to miss im not sure what half of you were listening to. All in all, solid lyrics (i did have to pull up AZlyrics for some), fantastic production that does nothing but accentuate her delivery and create an unforgettable atmosphere and a solid debut for miss twigs. Don't judge a book by its cover!
Final Score: 7.7/10
I want to review this! I listened to it last week and wanna give it another proper listen and review it. Plus it's been a while since I reviewed something in here.
Prior to researching, all I knew about FKA twigs was that she clearly enjoyed using a toothbrush to get that baby hair look. I did not know she was a triple threat musician (singer, songwriter, and producer) nor did I know she was a dancer who can be seen in a number of other artists' music videos, most notably Jessie J 's "Price Tag".
I quickly dived into her debut album LP1 after learning about her and listening to her two EPs. LP1 sounded very unimpressive with my first listen and she seemed like just another musician applauded by the critics for creating music which goes against the mainstream. Yet, with my second listen and then my third listen, I began to realize that there definitely is something special and noteworthy about both LP1 and FKA twigs.
Her laid back vocals with slight distortions here and there suit the mostly mellow and chill production. Both her vocals and the production are very consistent throughout the entire album, but neither has a lasting impact. I listened to the album maybe six or seven times top to bottom by now and I cannot think of any moments where I felt like she really impressed me with her voice or with the production. I love the vocals and the production while listening to the album, but they do not stay with me after I stop listening to the album.
What does stay with me are the lyrics. What I love about the lyrics is that FKA twigs is not telling a story with her music but instead sitting down with the listener and pouring out her feelings to them as the feelings come to her. She is showing vulnerability by letting her wall down (or, should I say, turning the "lights on"?) which is why each track flows from one to another, especially with the lyrics. It is like she sat down, wrote the first song then reflected on it, and made the next.
"Lights On", "Hours", "Pendulum", and "Closer" are among the best on the album as well as "Two Weeks" with that catchy "Pull out of the incisor / give me two weeks / you won’t recognize her" line.
There is much more to FKA twigs than her baby hair and there are plenty of reasons why she deserves to be applauded by the critics. Her lyrics are incredible and the overall mood of LP1 is spectacular due to her massively contributing to the vocals, lyrics, and production. While the album may not be my favorite of the year or even a to-go-to album for me, I think it is great and I look forward to seeing FKA twigs grow as a vocalist, lyricist, and producer.
Will be updating with both Taylor and Charli today as well as giving the 24 hour notice for FKA twigs.
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Originally posted by Luminary
I advise everyone who gave this a score below 8 to revise their review
Remember this is atrlcritic, other publications do not mean a thing to us. We're trying to see what our members think of an album or song with hopefully no outside influences.
Tahliah Barnett, otherwise known as FKA twigs, has had her fans held in suspense, anticipating her debut album with bated breath for quite a while now. Her haunting yet sensual sound instantly intrigued critics and casual listeners alike on her first EP, conveniently titled EP1. With each subsequent release, we've watched as Twigs has built on her fresh, unique sound and come to master it. Today, nearly two years after her debut EP, she's finally released her album, LP1, and there's no question about it: this is her best work to date.
Even at a short ten tracks (nine excluding the stunning yet somewhat superfluous introduction), the album packs quite a punch. Her voice is light, sultry, and inviting, godlike and enveloped in the stunning electronic sounds found throughout the album. LP1 boasts a number of tracks filled with gorgeous melodies and airy, angelic yet powerful vocals that never falter nor fail to captivate. Equally as interesting is the production on this album; certain moments on here have such complexity and depth that you can immerse yourself in them.
Perhaps certain tracks don't quite reach the lofty heights of "Lights On" or "Two Weeks," but objectively there isn't a single bad song on the album. Where an interesting melody or lyric may be missing, there's nearly always something to make up for it, whether it's a noteworthy vocal performance or a piece of incredible production. The talents of Twigs and her collaborators are absolutely immense, and they clearly shine through on this album.
Although she's been frequently described by others as a cross between Aaliyah and Björk, it feels as if Twigs has created her own genre with this album. LP1 explores many different sounds and ideas within the electronic and R&B genres in a way that no other artist has ever done before. Even then, the album manages to remain cohesive and ultimately complete.
Whether she will ever be able to top this album or not is yet to be seen, but right now there's no doubt in my mind that this is the best album of the year so far, and quite possibly one of the greatest efforts of the decade.
Not bad, Twigs. Not bad at all.
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9/10
Loved your review! I always wait to read others reviews until after I finish my own in fear of taking some of their ideas and plus it is dope seeing people have similar thoughts.
While I have not listened to a lot of Aaliyah, she definitely came to mind while listening to the album, but I didn't want to mention it in case the comparison seemed way too out there.
She also reminds me a bit of Boots, Beyoncé's bestie.
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Originally posted by Eeveelution
'I love annoying sounds' said twigs in a recent interview. Details like the car alarm in 'Lights On' and the omnipresent clicks, most notable in the Sampha-produced 'Numbers', would be irritating on any other album, but work perfectly here, adding depth and complexity to the songs. 'Numbers' also especially highlights twigs' gorgeous falsetto and is probably the best vocal performance of the album.
Despite being pigeonholed into genres such as 'Alternative RnB' and 'Trip Hop', there is nothing that really fits twigs. Maybe if James Blake remixed Björk it would sound like 'LP1'. But as of now, this is a truly unique debut.
Another review I liked. The incorporation of 'unique' or random sounds is another thing that reminded me of Boots who does something similar.
I think if Nothing Was The Same Drake mixed with Boots, you'd get LP1.
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