If someone were to ask me four years ago who I thought would be my favorite artist in the future, I wouldn’t have hesitated: Lady Gaga. Never in a million years would I think someone could top the queen of pop music, however, Lorde’s sophomore album Melodrama is enough to throw the towel in. The imagery that Lorde projects and the outstanding production that complements her lyrical progression create an album that is mesmerizing and hauntingly beautiful. It’s sheer brilliance, self awareness and honesty was enough to award Lorde a rare 92 on Metacritic (top 20 of all time) and a virtual standing ovation from music critics globally. Lorde, also known as Ella Yelich-O’Connor, presents the listener with a concept album; one night, one party, and all the thoughts, feelings, and emotions that go along with it. It’s a brisk 41 minute record that will have you thinking deep, thinking thoughtfully and questioning everything.
With the first song on the record being Green Light, the listener is able to see Lorde’s departure from the fifteen year old who wrote Pure Heroine five years ago. She has experienced new-found heartbreak, pain and lust, which is essentially what this opener is all about. Green Light is a pounding-pop, power-anthem that is a real standout on this album. It triumphs her longing for love again and allows the listener to feel the agony she is feeling. The song is fast paced and doesn’t wait for the listener to catch up; it’s a night at a party and the song makes you aware of that. At times, it’s easy to get lost in the song’s jam-packed chorus, but who’s complaining? It’s brilliant.
Lorde is most triumphant when she is honest and truthful about her feelings. When she’s not afraid to get intimate with the listener or too afraid to show the woes that she has faced, Lorde shines like the bright star she is. This is shown in the track Writer in the Dark where she sings about her Ex-Boyfriend and how he must regret giving her inspiration for new songs and material. This matter isn’t what your normally find in a pop record, in fact, the honesty and vulnerability is extremely refreshing in the pop landscape today. Along with the powerful material in the song, the chorus gives the listener a side of Lorde that we’ve never seen. She hits notes that she hasn’t hit before and reaches her stride in her amazing lyrical abilities. It’s no wonder that this song was a quick fan favorite on the album.
This honesty and vulnerability is also shown in the track Liability where she proclaims that she’s a hard person to be around because she’s sometimes too much to handle. Something that a lot of teenagers and young adults feel, Lorde gives the listener something to easily relate to. What makes this song so magnificent, though, is how simple it is to feel. On first listener, I felt connected to the words she was singing; I related to the pain she was hurting from. It’s easy to tell when listening to this record how deeply personal it was for Ella to write. At times on Pure Heroine, it felt as if she had her guard up and was afraid to open up, that’s not the case for Melodrama. It’s inspiring for a loyal listener like I am, to see her open up and be an open book on this album.
In the world of music, especially pop music, four years is a very long time. With the amount of time between Lorde’s first and second album being about that length, it was a tough call on whether she would come back with her original sound. For her to reappear and be the prominent figure she was four summers ago, she would have to return with something original and innovative – Melodrama exceeds in that department.
Easily the most experiemental song on the record, Sober is gift for the ears. Lorde serves sensual vocals with an insanely strong, yet unique production. The horns, the drums and the base engulf your soul and get you lost in the heavenly song. The first time I heard this track, I practically jumped out of my seat; it was overwhelming at how great it was on the first listen. Sober emphasizes Lorde’s strengths as a young lyricist and showcases her amazing vocal range. Along with Sober, the mid-way album track Hard Feelings/Loveless was something I never expected from Lorde. The slow progression of the production evolving into the climatic bridge of the track was something only a master musician could do… Lorde made it feel effortless.
Long before the album was released, Lorde teased her fans with the short and succulent track-list. Nothing too spectacular, it was just a simple list of the eleven songs on the album. Two of the songs, however, were reprises of other songs on the album: Sober II (Melodrama) and Liability (Reprise). Because I am a devoted Lorde fan who wants to devour as much Lorde music as I possibly can, I was worried that two of the songs on the album weren’t even standalone tracks. This fear was diminished pretty quick though once I was actually able to hear the album. In fact, these two tracks became two of my favorites, not just on the album but in general. Both of these songs have outstanding presentation and song-writing, and oddly enough, they both lack a crucial song element: a chorus. Written more like poetry, these monumental tracks are some of the best compositions I have ever heard and each time I listen, they get better and better.
Hopping back to when Lorde’s mega-hit Royals was hitting the summer airwaves, music critics around the world were in awe at how innovative the track was. It sounded nothing like the Top-40 and it offered something new to the rap-saturated radio. What made Lorde become so popular was the sheer fact that her vision of pop was far different from what had been done before her. Royals was hit because she strived to make something new and exciting for pop listeners; she had to change the game and she did. Artists in every genre picked up from her cues and used her blueprint as inspiration. Songs following that summer had strong influences of Lorde’s moody-dark-raw pop which allowed Lorde to become a household name. For her to come back into today’s current pop market and capture the attention like she did four years ago, she would have to reinvent herself with a new sound; this leads us to the magnificent Supercut.
The catchiness, the out-of-this-world production and the lyrics on this amazing track blend together to create Lorde’s next Royals. Supercut is the pop song that the pop genre didn’t know that it needed. Found at the near end of the record, this jam is nothing short of remarkable. The way the song is structured is clever because it allows the listener to slowly build into the all-conquering, powerful, final chorus. It’s the most necessary song on the album because it bridges the gap between the ‘Pop Lorde’ and the ‘Alternative Lorde’. It showcases her amazing songwriting abilities and her ability to adapt to different kinds of productions and sounds. At first listen, it may sound like an ordinary pop song but that thought will slowly fade away. Supercut is that song on the record that you will have stuck in your head for days. It’s a classic ear worm that is meant to keep you dancing and singing for days on end.
As the album wraps up on it’s eleventh song, you’re gifted with one mountainous Grand Finale. The end of the party. The last drink in the cup. The final sip before the sober. Perfect Places is that concluding song that brings the album to a close. This isn’t the average closer though. In fact, it’s the song that makes your question every song on the album you heard before it. Instead of celebrating the perfect party you think she is going to write about, you are presented with a question (and the final lyric of the album): “What the fuck are Perfect Places, anyways?”. This track is about how far we will run to achieve satisfaction in our lives. It questions whether we are actually happy with the lives we are living, the parties we are attending, and the lovers we share our bodies with. Is anything as perfect as we make it seem? Perfect Places asks that question after an album where lust, partying and sensualism are the main elements and where reality and actuality are not. So when she asks this final question, it’s clear that she knows the answer: Perfect Places don’t exist but momentary happiness does.
Melodrama may not be the Lorde we expected but it’s the Lorde that we needed. It’s a dark album that is brightly lit by strong lyrics, a compelling production and determined spirit that has never been seen in a mainstream pop record. It not only exceeded my expectations, it blew them out of the water. Ella’s story from Green Light to Perfect Places needs to be heard in all of it’s glory and opulence; you experience the pain, the heartbreak, the cravings for love, and even the euphoric energy she feels. From start to finish, Melodrama is more than magic, it’s a spellbinding journey that captivates your mind and soul and never releases you. It’s grasp is enough to keep the record spinning in your head for nights on end. What Lorde created was something special for every fan to hear, it was a more personal look into her private life and what she does when she’s not Lorde but simply Ella Yelich-O’Connor. It’s so refreshing to see an artist evolve so much from their first to their second album. Pure Heroine was nothing short of a masterpiece and her followup four years later was somehow able to top it. Both albums shine in their own ways, however, Melodrama has it’s own brillance and poise, it’s hard to top. The space in between the two works allowed Ella to grow into who she really is. Melodrama is more self aware, honest and less protected. Groundbreaking.
champagnemelody 