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Elle Goulding’s ‘Halcyon’ is hauntingly beautiful

Ellie Goulding
“Halcyon”
(Polydor Records)

In an age of auto tuned homogeneity, Ellie Goulding’s voice is really something. She imprints on everything she sings with unique character. Goulding’s tremulous vibrato and hoarse timbre have the feel of something primal and folky, her birdlike high notes are childlike, while darker tones imply ancient depths of sorrow.

Ellie Goulding has always dealt with unfairly high expectations. Best known in the U.S. for her breakthrough single “Lights,” Goulding was already a star in the UK after winning the Critics’ Choice Award at the Brit Awards and the BBC Sound Of… poll in 2010, making her only the second artist in history to do so -- the first being Adele.

Halcyon, her second LP, pumps up her sound with unique character. Producer Jim Eliot puts her voice front and back with choral walls of vibrato, fashioning hooks from cut up samples of chirrups and chants, and creating unusual textures from trills and warbles.

Her third track, “Only You” is looped with peculiar pygmy samples you hear on world music albums, a quality emphasized by a squeakily pitched-up vocal shadowing her tremulous lead. In the addictive hook of her title, “Anything Could Happen,” Goulding moors her fragile ethereal voice to crisper synths and dance beats constructed with separate vocal notes created by the keyboard.

By Bae Soo-min, Intern reporter (soomin623@heraldcorp.com)


eAeon is back with some jazz-infused indie tracks

eAeon
“Realize”
(Sony Music)

eAeon raises the bar for alternative soft rock music with his newest solo album, “Realize.” This six-track album showcases the artists’ intoxicatingly soft vocal, with his take on a fusion of improvised style jazz, with his classic indie sound.

The fourth track on the album, “Harder Better Faster Stronger,” is a clever acoustic spin off remake of Kayne West’s hit song “Stronger.” eAeon gives the track a total face lift, singing in an almost calming whisper. The song includes varied jazz infused guitar and piano rifts that pull the song together in intriguing remix that is both elementally busy, yet smooth.

“My Little Piggy” is another intriguing tune that starts off with the bass and then slowing drifts into eAeon’s soft voice, where listeners can feel the artists’ sincerity and soul down to their very core. Another must-listen on the Realize album is “Bulletproof.” The track shows off the artist in a higher tone that is once again done beautifully in his faint whispering singing style.

Nothing in the album is rushed, everything is methodical with daydreaming-like emotional effect. Overall, the album is a great example of how jazz and indie rock can be given a modern twist that makes the genre both trendy and soulful.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)


One Direction’s latest release needs to make a U-turn

One Direction
“Take Me Home”
(Sony Music)

One Direction’s new album will make anyone older than ten-years old thankful not to be bound by the social obligations of pretending to enjoy the out-of-date fades of pop boy bands. The English-Irish teen heartthrobs have released their follow-up album “Take Me Home,” a 17-track dance pop album.

Aside from the fact that most of tracks on the album sound similar in their electro pop feel, the lyrics themselves lack any sort of genuine substance. The title track, “Loved You First,” sounds like an outdated 80s dance track, about missing out on the chance to be with the one you love. A subject that has the potential to touch upon a sensitive and heartbreaking moment is belittled.

However, to be fair, the five-member boy band who are chart-toppers and idols in the eyes of their young school girl fans, aren’t exactly known for their music artistry, rather for their playful, high school entertainment.

With lyrics like “because no one looks so good in a dress and it hurts…,” the boys’ newest album is a glimpse of the future of their music, which among the world of adults is bleak at best.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)