In truth, the name Jordin Sparks meant very little to me before this summer. I later found out that she had won American Idol a couple of years ago which put me off a bit - I despise reality TV just on principle - but the sheer force of Battlefield dragged me back in.
I first heard through Popjustice who made it their Song of the Day back in the summer, summing it typically succintly: "It's basically fucking amazing."
I have to agree. Sparks' voice is the very definition of powerhouse, leading the listener in gently under a twinkly piano melody. A bit of Careyesque warbling follows before the bridge sets up the explosive chorus. "Why does love always feel like a battlefield?" shrieks Sparks over and over again and by the end it's almost impossible not to bellow along with her.
Some complementary backing vocals crash in at just the right time and then, oh yes, KEY CHANGE and it's brilliant, all thumping, bumping drums and Sparks' vocals stabbing away at the heartstrings. It's stunning. The last 45 seconds or so could probably be cut but that would really be nit-picking.
Tuesday 1 December 2009
Albums of 2009: #18 Editors – In This Light And On This Evening
When Edith Bowman, the long-term beau of Editors' singer Tom Smith, proclaimed the band's new material to be a massive departure from their usual sub-Joy Division act you could be forgiven for thinking 'well, she would say that'.
But it turns out she was right after all.
After two albums of stale yet listenable pompous dark-rock Editors brought out 2009's instrument of choice - the synth. And it worked. Kind of. In This Light And On This Evening was, despite the clumpy title, much sharper than both of its predecessors, the tight nine tracks helping to eliminate filler. Smith's vocals are still in the shadow of Interpol's Paul Banks but for the first time the music from the Brummies posed a genuine challenge to the New Yorkers.
It was certainly brave, risking isolating their fans by deviating from their tried-and-tested formula, but Papillon provided the bridge between old and new, offering a hook as instantaneous as Munich or Blood, but blending in a synth line subtly to introduce the new direction to fans. The rest of the album was solid in unspectacular. The Big Exit's buzz-saw hacled through the atmosphere while Bricks and Mortar, ironically enough, laid the foundations for the record at its beginning.
Plenty of bands are too half-arsed when trying out something new but Editors went full throttle, with The Boxer's almost calypso melody a memorable highlight. In This Light And On This Evening opens plenty of doors for the band and it will be intriguing to see which one they go through.
Listen for yourself on Spotify.
But it turns out she was right after all.
After two albums of stale yet listenable pompous dark-rock Editors brought out 2009's instrument of choice - the synth. And it worked. Kind of. In This Light And On This Evening was, despite the clumpy title, much sharper than both of its predecessors, the tight nine tracks helping to eliminate filler. Smith's vocals are still in the shadow of Interpol's Paul Banks but for the first time the music from the Brummies posed a genuine challenge to the New Yorkers.
It was certainly brave, risking isolating their fans by deviating from their tried-and-tested formula, but Papillon provided the bridge between old and new, offering a hook as instantaneous as Munich or Blood, but blending in a synth line subtly to introduce the new direction to fans. The rest of the album was solid in unspectacular. The Big Exit's buzz-saw hacled through the atmosphere while Bricks and Mortar, ironically enough, laid the foundations for the record at its beginning.
Plenty of bands are too half-arsed when trying out something new but Editors went full throttle, with The Boxer's almost calypso melody a memorable highlight. In This Light And On This Evening opens plenty of doors for the band and it will be intriguing to see which one they go through.
Listen for yourself on Spotify.
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