Pop Recap - January 2020
Artists covered: Gabrielle Aplin * Kesha * Liam Payne * Louis Tomlinson * Selena Gomez
Another week, another edition of my monthly recaps... today I'm reviewing 5 new albums from the world pop. Hope you enjoy!
"Dear Happy"
Gabrielle Aplin
Gabrielle Aplin
17th January 2020
Never Fade
You know, given the slowly declining quality in singles and the huge wait for this album, I definitely lost a lot of the anticipation I had fresh off the release of her sleek Avalon EP back in 2017. Strange then that this has turned out to be arguably her most personal, soul-baring and well rounded album.
Given her past tendencies for folksy ballads and surprisingly biting dips into pop rock (upon relistening to her sophomore album I was pleasantly surprised to find her Florence + The Machine replicas ended up surpassing many of the tracks from Florence's own 2015 release in terms of quality), this is Aplin's most straightforward pop album. Almost none of the songs would fit into her previous two albums and as off putting as that may me it shouldn't be surprising given the five years since her last album: with that sort of gap you need to come back with some significant change ups or you'll just sound boring (isn't that right Tame Impala).
Gabrielle Aplin is never going to be a heavy hitter in the world of pop, her style of music and writing would have best suited the mainstream 15 years ago, but she's also pretty far out from the more indie pop inclined critical darlings such as Grimes or even Rae Morris. The space and current sound she occupies isn't particularly unique, but I have to say I'm very impressed by the emphatic grooves and clean, polished beats that surround but never overtake her perfectly acceptable if a little underweight vocals. They never sound strained, but I do think her vocals lack a little punch on some of these songs.
As good as it is to compliment the production and general style of the album, the real selling point to Gabrielle's music hasn't changed throughout the course of her career and this album is yet more proof of why she's a great writer. Unlike so many of her peers, she has very minimal co-writers contributing to these songs and the only reason I expect they're present is to help streamline the sort of intensity that she's always leant into, a move appropriate given the more electropop oriented lane of the album. That said, the album has its fair share of weighty lyrics moments that are incredibly not constrained to the conventional ballads (of which there are only two). Something so typical of pop singers is only to introduce more honest or revealing themes on their slowest most minimal songs, but Gabrielle is refreshing in her more unlimited approach to tackling clear themes of self doubt, anxiety and inner conflict. I'd argue this record boasts her most openly self aware, critical and reflective lyrics to date, and the attentions to detail lyrically and musically reassure me that as safe this change in direction is it's far from a sellout move.
Dear Happy is an album that keeps me coming back for more; it may take it's time to work its magic but in the long run this is far from the disappointment I thought it would be. Aside from the shamelessly hollow "Losing Me" there isn't a bad song on here, and there's more than a handful of really great songs that I expect might end up surprising me come year end season in just how much I connect and return to them.
7.5
Best Tracks: Invisible; Strange; Magic; Love Back; Miss You; Dear Happy
Worst Tracks: Losing Me
"High Road"
Kesha
31st January 2020
RCA
I wish I didn't have to say this but, for me at least, this album doesn't work. For as much as she continuously reiterates that the partying is an act of freedom and defiance, it comes across more as a coping mechanism that certainly emphasises the most abrasive side of Kesha's personality. For as empowering as this album can be, it reveals also that she's not afraid to strip away your power and it's an angle that leaves a very awkward impact with me given what Kesha herself went through.
In 2017, Kesha made her grand return with Rainbow, an album that managed to feel totally balanced, both reflective and progressive and containing Kesha's strongest writing and songs to date. With High Road it seems to me that the bright colours have been replaced with only the harshest reds and mellowest yellows. From the first handful of songs you'd assume she was back to her party-girl ways, albeit with a lot more time spent thinking than before as you'd expect. For as fun and heavy as these songs can be, they can be frustratingly unlikeable and too over the top for their own good.
There are some admirably open and devastatingly depressing moments, but they're often confined to the odd lyric here and there and lack the focus that Rainbow had. As much as I appreciate the chaos and confusion that is this album for how honest it is, there's a limit to how much incoordination before you cross the threshold of messy. Some songs handle this incredibly well, whilst others fall prey to the trap as a result of mediocre writing and clunky production. By contrast, much of the later album is filled with songs that just don't take any risks at all and end up paling in comparison to their more explosive peers.
Kesha
31st January 2020
RCA
I wish I didn't have to say this but, for me at least, this album doesn't work. For as much as she continuously reiterates that the partying is an act of freedom and defiance, it comes across more as a coping mechanism that certainly emphasises the most abrasive side of Kesha's personality. For as empowering as this album can be, it reveals also that she's not afraid to strip away your power and it's an angle that leaves a very awkward impact with me given what Kesha herself went through.
In 2017, Kesha made her grand return with Rainbow, an album that managed to feel totally balanced, both reflective and progressive and containing Kesha's strongest writing and songs to date. With High Road it seems to me that the bright colours have been replaced with only the harshest reds and mellowest yellows. From the first handful of songs you'd assume she was back to her party-girl ways, albeit with a lot more time spent thinking than before as you'd expect. For as fun and heavy as these songs can be, they can be frustratingly unlikeable and too over the top for their own good.
There are some admirably open and devastatingly depressing moments, but they're often confined to the odd lyric here and there and lack the focus that Rainbow had. As much as I appreciate the chaos and confusion that is this album for how honest it is, there's a limit to how much incoordination before you cross the threshold of messy. Some songs handle this incredibly well, whilst others fall prey to the trap as a result of mediocre writing and clunky production. By contrast, much of the later album is filled with songs that just don't take any risks at all and end up paling in comparison to their more explosive peers.
Conclusively, as much as I enjoy the tragic undertones the ambition either overshoots or doesn't raise its head whatsoever and this juxtaposition is what keeps me from enjoying most of this record. Still, if this works for you then I suppose the emotion isn't totally wasted. As you can see below, there are lots of great songs and lots of bad ones and
I'd just rather listen to Lizzo.
5.5
Best Tracks: Raising Hell; High Road; Shadow; Cowboy Blues; Resentment; Father Daughter Dance
Worst Tracks: Tonight; Birthday Suit; Kinky; Potato Song; Chasing Thunder
"LP1"
Liam Payne
Liam Payne
6th December 2019
Capitol
From One Direction's second most controversial star we have... Do I really have to talk about this thing? After blissful year and half with him absent from the pop scene, Liam Payne decided to grace us with his presence back in September with a new single and the announcement of this, his debut album. As much as I really try to go into an album completely neutral (and I did manage that for this), my expectations were definitely lowered after his constantly forgettable, bland, uninteresting singles. Does that trend continue with the rest of his album? [Spoiler alert] - yes.
My big problem with this album and by extension with Liam Payne as a singer is how indistinctive he is. There is nothing remotely unique about his voice and his writing is...oh wait. Sorry, what I almost said was that his writing is mediocre at best. A rookie mistake and I apologise profusely, because what I really meant was that the huge selection of cowriters' lyrics are at best mediocre. You see, he only has a co-writing credit on four of the album's seventeen total songs. FOUR. I mean that just shows how much he cared about this thing doesn't it. How are you supposed to be proud of an album that you barely contributed to? This album doesn't belong to anyone, there isn't a consistent producer because he hired twenty five. That's write, twenty five people to produce an album of samey pop trap that occasionally dips into reggaeton and R&B.
Okay, so you might be thinking that surely it can't be that bad, right? I mean just because there's minimal effort from any one person doesn't mean the final product can't still be enjoyable? I'm sorry to say that in this case there are a total of three "redeeming" qualities. None of them redeem or excuse the album as a whole. #1 - The beats are easy to move (not dance) to. That said, they aren't memorable or impactful and they do nothing to improve my opinion of this album given how redundant they are. #2 - Rita Ora features on the single "For You" which is a swirling synthpop jam that I enjoy about as much as I did when it came out over two years ago. The reason I like that song has nothing to do with Liam as his voice is boring and detrimental to the song. #3 - This is a very cohesive album and each song flows pretty nicely into the next... which makes every song even less distinctive and the whole album feel like even more of a slog to get through.
The subject matter of these songs are very much faux-sexy and often repulsive (don't forget they're also impersonal given how many writers there were) and the gaps between reasonably tolerable moments are far, far apart. I'll give Liam this though, he managed to lend a hand writing the very worst song on the album, the straight up offensive "Both Ways" which given certain comments he's made regarding the LGBTQ+ community comes across a beyond insensitive and is one of a few songs that leave me actively disgusted. But HEY at least I'm actually engaged when listening unlike the rest of the album!
Conclusively, I genuinely think this is the most vapid, repulsive and frustratingly low-effort pop album I've ever heard. There is almost nothing to gravitate towards or keep you interested. If you're a fan of Liam Payne there are other ways to support him than this album and given how poorly this has performed commercially it thankfully seems as though you've realised that. The song "Tell Your Friends" puts it best with the line "can't defend my reputation" - not after this monstrosity of an album mate. Please... don't listen to this album.
1/10
Best Tracks: For You; Say It All
Worst Tracks: Stack It Up; Remember; Heart Meet Break; Hips Don't Lie; Tell Your Friends; Rude Hours; Live Forever; Weekend; Both Ways; Strip That Down; Familiar; Polaroid; Get Low; Bedroom Floor; All I Want
"Walls"
Louis Tomlinson
Louis Tomlinson
31st January 2020
Arista
Next up we have another One Direction lad on the chopping block and the final member to release their debut album. Louis Tomlinson has gone through one of the most turbulent times of any popstar these past few years and this album is the product of all the trauma of losing both his mum and sister in the span of a cruel 3 years. That said, what do we get in terms of music on Walls?
I was rather excited going into this having predominantly enjoyed the singles leading up to its release, particularly the well-crafted "We Made It" which even made my Top 100 songs last year as a fantastic example of modern production and drums seamlessly blended with Tomlinson's 90s indie rock influences. This is the best song on Walls by far, because it perfectly encapsulates Louis's down to earth attitude and honest writing in the context of some great pop rock. It's a magic that I'm afraid to say is absent from the majority of songs, not necessarily because of a failure to perform to the same high standard but what comes across as a failure to try.
Louis was one of the better writer's in 1D, and it's no coincidence that fans are praising this album for its touching lyrics. As emotional as they may be, and I will give him credit for that, they aren't nearly as distinct or deep as they should be. The intended album centrepiece and titular tack "Walls" is a prime example of this, a song that's too vague for its own good that consequently says very little. He's spoken about how proudly open this is, specifically the first line "nothing wakes you up like waking up alone", a lyric that says a whole lot less than it thinks it does. My problem is that Louis doesn't seem to contextualise anything or back up the washy metaphors that fill this track, leaving me feeling incredibly detached from the song. He can spend all the time he wants explaining what it means in his breakdown of the lyrics, but it does nothing to improve the songs because he doesn't include any of those details and specifics that would give his writing so much more character, something that "We Made It" does right. It's a problem that exists throughout the whole album.
Musically too it feels like Louis is apprehensive of standing for anything as he straddles the line between pop and indie, awkwardly fence sitting between his past and what you might think is his future. In reality, before One Direction he was submerged in Oasis, Arctic Monkeys and the other staples of 90s and 00s indie rock, and it's his old loves that he's influenced by about as much as he's influenced by the last 1D album. He bridges that gap without the bite of indie nor the cachiness of pop and as you progress through his album it becomes increasingly evident that this is the case. For as enjoyable or easy to listen to as this album is, there's not much to bring me back for more and there's almost nothing to think about. In short, it's a whole lot more shallow than who I'd describe as the most humble member of 1D.
Overall, I can really only recommend this to the fans. This really is primarily an album of derivative Oasis replicas for people without the patience to listen to Oasis's music. As harsh as it may be to call this album vague and lacking substance, the truth is that Louis could have made a much better album here so I'm warily looking forward to what he does next. If you like it and don't mind the lacklustre lyrics and instrumentals then I'm happy for you, but I have to recommend Blossoms and King Princess as the superior alternatives.
5/10
Best Tracks: Kill My Mind; Two of Us; We Made It; Defenceless
Worst Tracks: Don't Let It Break Your Heart; Always You; Perfect Now
I was rather excited going into this having predominantly enjoyed the singles leading up to its release, particularly the well-crafted "We Made It" which even made my Top 100 songs last year as a fantastic example of modern production and drums seamlessly blended with Tomlinson's 90s indie rock influences. This is the best song on Walls by far, because it perfectly encapsulates Louis's down to earth attitude and honest writing in the context of some great pop rock. It's a magic that I'm afraid to say is absent from the majority of songs, not necessarily because of a failure to perform to the same high standard but what comes across as a failure to try.
Louis was one of the better writer's in 1D, and it's no coincidence that fans are praising this album for its touching lyrics. As emotional as they may be, and I will give him credit for that, they aren't nearly as distinct or deep as they should be. The intended album centrepiece and titular tack "Walls" is a prime example of this, a song that's too vague for its own good that consequently says very little. He's spoken about how proudly open this is, specifically the first line "nothing wakes you up like waking up alone", a lyric that says a whole lot less than it thinks it does. My problem is that Louis doesn't seem to contextualise anything or back up the washy metaphors that fill this track, leaving me feeling incredibly detached from the song. He can spend all the time he wants explaining what it means in his breakdown of the lyrics, but it does nothing to improve the songs because he doesn't include any of those details and specifics that would give his writing so much more character, something that "We Made It" does right. It's a problem that exists throughout the whole album.
Musically too it feels like Louis is apprehensive of standing for anything as he straddles the line between pop and indie, awkwardly fence sitting between his past and what you might think is his future. In reality, before One Direction he was submerged in Oasis, Arctic Monkeys and the other staples of 90s and 00s indie rock, and it's his old loves that he's influenced by about as much as he's influenced by the last 1D album. He bridges that gap without the bite of indie nor the cachiness of pop and as you progress through his album it becomes increasingly evident that this is the case. For as enjoyable or easy to listen to as this album is, there's not much to bring me back for more and there's almost nothing to think about. In short, it's a whole lot more shallow than who I'd describe as the most humble member of 1D.
Overall, I can really only recommend this to the fans. This really is primarily an album of derivative Oasis replicas for people without the patience to listen to Oasis's music. As harsh as it may be to call this album vague and lacking substance, the truth is that Louis could have made a much better album here so I'm warily looking forward to what he does next. If you like it and don't mind the lacklustre lyrics and instrumentals then I'm happy for you, but I have to recommend Blossoms and King Princess as the superior alternatives.
5/10
Best Tracks: Kill My Mind; Two of Us; We Made It; Defenceless
Worst Tracks: Don't Let It Break Your Heart; Always You; Perfect Now
"Rare"
Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez
January 10th 2020
Interscope
This has been a pretty hefty set of reviews so as strange as it is to say I'm glad we're ending on a positive note with Selena Gomez. She's an artist I'm so often conflicted on for her incredibly variable output, and as true as that still is this is an album that definitely shows some maturing even if it requires a lot of improvements for me to be onboard.
As ever, there are moments of outstanding mediocrity and that's especially evident in lots of the writing. That's not to say that all the songs have weak lyrics, but that most songs definitely suffer from the obvious weak lines, which has often been the way with Selena's songs. No, the most interesting aspect of this album has to come from the music itself, which transcends her usual mellow electropop and R&B. The styles this album pulls from are more expansive, from the electrofunk of artists like Jungle or Caribou with a distinct and pleasant influence from disco and the more predictable influence of latin pop, although that's primarily focused on the track "Ring".
Although the sounds she plays with are slightly compromised by the overcompressed nature of every instrumental, when the flavour manages to survive and overshadow her patchy writing and overly repetitive lyrics the songs can end up sounding pretty good. What's unfortunate is how generic some of the middle songs are, occupying a large and unlikeable portion of the tracklist where her personality is squandered by the lack of defined lyrics and really underweight instrumentals that have none of the flavour of the explosive "Dance Again" or the psychedelic, Kid Cudi featuring "A Sweeter Place", the most interesting song on the album conceptually and sonically.
In terms of my thoughts on the singles, I have to say that for as much as I appreciate the genuine emotion and great writing on "Lose You To Love Me" that song is both overrated and overhated, as everyone seems to exclusively have extreme opinions on the track. As I said in my Winter Top 20 Ranking, this song is a little too derivative of co-writer Julia Michaels's own hit "Issues" for my liking and it does break the flow of the album as it is the only ballad. The other lead single was the already forgotten "Look At Her Now", a mediocre dance pop track that suffers from ACS (Appalling Chorus Syndrome) and becomes an inexcusable mess of a song as a result of that. Other standouts include the very vulnerable "Vulnerable" which is quite beautiful in its existence. I suppose "Cut You Off" is another well written track that packs a bit of a punch, but I implore you to listen to the Makk Mikkael song of the same name because it's a much better exploration of literally the same theme.
Overall, I wasn't expecting this album to be much and Selena certainly delivered. I'm not quite indifferent on it but as per usual I have mixed feelings regarding the quality of the writing, production and flow of the album. If anything, this has just made me hopeful that her next record will be one that dives into the disco, electrofunk and psychedelia that this album simply flirted with. If you're a fan, give it a listen.
5.5/10
Best Tracks: Dance Again; Vulnerable; A Sweeter Place
Worst Tracks: Look At Her Now; Crowded Room; Fun
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Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this first installment of my Pop Recap series. The next recap coming up is the Electronic Recap, where I'll be looking at new albums from Bjarki, Bring Me The Horizon, Cale Parks, Georgia, and Mura Masa.
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As ever, there are moments of outstanding mediocrity and that's especially evident in lots of the writing. That's not to say that all the songs have weak lyrics, but that most songs definitely suffer from the obvious weak lines, which has often been the way with Selena's songs. No, the most interesting aspect of this album has to come from the music itself, which transcends her usual mellow electropop and R&B. The styles this album pulls from are more expansive, from the electrofunk of artists like Jungle or Caribou with a distinct and pleasant influence from disco and the more predictable influence of latin pop, although that's primarily focused on the track "Ring".
Although the sounds she plays with are slightly compromised by the overcompressed nature of every instrumental, when the flavour manages to survive and overshadow her patchy writing and overly repetitive lyrics the songs can end up sounding pretty good. What's unfortunate is how generic some of the middle songs are, occupying a large and unlikeable portion of the tracklist where her personality is squandered by the lack of defined lyrics and really underweight instrumentals that have none of the flavour of the explosive "Dance Again" or the psychedelic, Kid Cudi featuring "A Sweeter Place", the most interesting song on the album conceptually and sonically.
In terms of my thoughts on the singles, I have to say that for as much as I appreciate the genuine emotion and great writing on "Lose You To Love Me" that song is both overrated and overhated, as everyone seems to exclusively have extreme opinions on the track. As I said in my Winter Top 20 Ranking, this song is a little too derivative of co-writer Julia Michaels's own hit "Issues" for my liking and it does break the flow of the album as it is the only ballad. The other lead single was the already forgotten "Look At Her Now", a mediocre dance pop track that suffers from ACS (Appalling Chorus Syndrome) and becomes an inexcusable mess of a song as a result of that. Other standouts include the very vulnerable "Vulnerable" which is quite beautiful in its existence. I suppose "Cut You Off" is another well written track that packs a bit of a punch, but I implore you to listen to the Makk Mikkael song of the same name because it's a much better exploration of literally the same theme.
Overall, I wasn't expecting this album to be much and Selena certainly delivered. I'm not quite indifferent on it but as per usual I have mixed feelings regarding the quality of the writing, production and flow of the album. If anything, this has just made me hopeful that her next record will be one that dives into the disco, electrofunk and psychedelia that this album simply flirted with. If you're a fan, give it a listen.
5.5/10
Best Tracks: Dance Again; Vulnerable; A Sweeter Place
Worst Tracks: Look At Her Now; Crowded Room; Fun
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Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this first installment of my Pop Recap series. The next recap coming up is the Electronic Recap, where I'll be looking at new albums from Bjarki, Bring Me The Horizon, Cale Parks, Georgia, and Mura Masa.
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