I've posted about Lorde before, reviewing her second album 'Melodrama' and mentioning her first 'Pure Heroine' (VV 31 July 2020). This is more of the same - but in a very different way.
Lorde seems to do the equivalent of vocal olympics .. four years between the first and second albums, another four years between the second and this one.
Released just one day ago, I'm on my third run through. I still need to get familiar with most of it, apart from the title track that has had pre-release exposure, where she tells us in no uncertain terms ...
"I'm kinda like a prettier Jesus".
It is distinctively Lorde, mellower in parts but with her signature ethereal backing vocals and electronics. In my first posting I said she seemed to me to be a mix between Kate Bush and Laurie Anderson. Some of that remains, there's even a little Marianne Faithfull there, thinking of the way Marianne breaks her words in songs like 'Working Class Hero' and 'Broken English'. Lorde does that too, noticeably on this album in 'Fallen Fruit'. I had strong feelings of Laurie Anderson at the 2.30 mark of 'Secrets From a Girl (Who's Seen It All)'. At that point the song has a spoken vocal from guest Robyn Carlsson. I immediately got a sense of Laurie's 'From The Air' where the captain comes on to tell everyone he's going to attempt a crash landing.
I need to keep listening to this album. I could come back in a week or two and write more, but I probably won't. I'll listen, enjoy and keep it to myself. You should do the same.
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