"Youth Knows No Pain" leads off the album with rousing drum and synthesizer work but relatively restrained vocals. It's an interesting and inviting opening track that's part progrock and part electropop. Next up is the jaunty "I Follow Rivers" which was the song most reminiscent of the tracks found on her debut album with its quirky melody and transcendent-sounding vocals. "Unrequited Love" is a slower song with a simple acoustic guitar backing and a country twang melody. "Get Some" is a rollicking track with clever lyrics, an immediately catchy beat and hook, and some subtle but extremely effective vocal work from Li that's reminiscent of Miss Kitten at her best that is a real standout track on first and repeated listens.
In addition to the "hypnotic, psychotic, and... primal" sounding music Li was aiming for, this album is darker and more somber than her quirky and more bouncy first album. The tracks given to us on this release definitely have more depth but that depth comes at the cost of some of the fun that the whimsicality of the first album was able to provide. In many ways, this is a better album than her first with superior production work, more elaborate songwriting, and definite growth over the passing years but I definitely missed the capriciousness she exhibited on her debut album. It's a more competent and complex album but one I ultimately found to be less fun to listen to.
Score: 7/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Get Some" [sample it below] and "I Follow Rivers"
This 10-song album begins with "Life is Life" which I found to be a relatively bland pop song with a generic-sounding melody, boring lead and backing vocals, and stale percussion work. Fortunately the album slowly picks up steam after that. "Tonight's the Kind of Night" is a more lively turn with a more optimistic message and energetic tempo. It's not what I would consider a great song but it is more enjoyable than the opener. Next up is their first single from the album "L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N." which has a fun, bubblegum pop feel and optimistic lyrics to create an enjoyable summertime song. "Waiting for My Chance to Come" is another song with clever lyrics but a more interesting chamber pop melody that credibly layers both string and keyboard playing.
There are some decent songs on Last Night on Earth with lyrics that are very thoughtful and well written. Unfortunately, most of the melodies that accompany the lyrics don't have the same imagination and seem monotonous or uninspired at times, especially on the tracks that don't feature any keyboard work to help add an extra layer to their music. In many regards it is a better overall album than their 2009 release The First Days of Spring with greater consistency over the entire album its just that there weren't any spectacular songs that make you want to come back and listen to the album more than once. However, the music is very similar in style and feel to the music on their last album so, if you were a fan of that album, you will probably like this album just as much (if not more).
Score: 6/10
Song(s) to Sample: "L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N." [sample it below]
Oh Land's music is best described as electropop on this 11-track release. It opens with "Perfection" which has a downtempo beat, delicately layered synthesizers and horns, and angelic vocals to create a track that immediately draws you in. "Sun of a Gun" is more fun pop influenced song that starts slowly and builds to a crescendo over the bridge that will have you tapping your toe by the chorus. "Voodoo" has a faster, more uptempo sound with a lot of electronic sounds and loops like a Scissor Sister song but with a more restrained singing style. "White Nights" is another song with its footing firm in pop music that has an extremely catchy hook that instantly attracts your attention even if you are just listening to the album quietly as background music.
Overall, Oh Land is one impressive debut album that never seems to get lost nor feel the need to include any throwaway songs on the extremely concise album. There is a very rich and layered sound prominent over the entire disc both due to the songwriting and the post-production work. A lot of that probably has to do with her production team of Dan Carey (Franz Ferdinand & Hot Chip) and Dave McCracken (Depeche Mode & Beyoncé) who both continue to show they know how to create lush and lavish tracks no matter who they are working with. Oh Land's vocal work is also quite impressive sounding like a mixture of Siouxsie Sioux and Esthero, with a touch of Bjork on a handful of tracks. Truthfully, this release makes me sad that I skipped out on the OMD show when they were in town a few weeks ago because I now know I would have loved to hear Oh Land open for them in-person to see if she can recreate in a live performance the ample amounts of magic evident on this album.
Score: 9.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "White Nights" and "Sun of a Gun" [sample it below]
No comments:
Post a Comment