Audio Quality: 3/5
Song Quality: 3/5
Packaging: 3/5
Let the record show that this is the first record I went out and purchased SOLELY for the purpose of reviewing it here. How's THAT for commitment and/or reckless spending while unemployed during a recession? In fact, last week I went to my local record shop and picked up several new records,
all of them containing music I had never heard before. Two were relatively new releases and the other three a bit older. The idea (other than impulse spending) was to have a couple serious listening sessions dedicated to unfamiliar tunes and write up the reviews based on my immediate reactions, without any bias from previous, potentially repeated, listening usings CDs / MP3s. So that is this week's theme. Sort of a stretch, but I think it's pretty okay. You in?So, Lily Allen. I confess that I wasn't a huge fan before this review. *SPOILER ALERT: I'm still not.* There were a few songs on her debut Alright, Still that I thought were GREAT, specifically "LDN," and "Alfie." Very well-crafted pop tunes with a lyrical and production edge that set her aside from her peers. However, there were other parts of the record where edgy lyrics felt like a deliberate distraction from the boring song they accompained ("Not Big"), or when unusual production is more bad than unique ("Friend of Mine"). I was hopeful that Lily would grow and overcome some of these shortcomings on It's Not Me, It's You, her brand new sophomore album. Did she do it?
Nah. Not really.
Let's go over this record. "Everyone's At It" is an okay opener, but far from great, and opens up with a synth melody that I really think might have been stolen from The Killers. If not, they've been meaning to write it, I'm sure. Track 2, "The Fear," is the lead single, and I don't get it. It's a textbook synth pop standard, complete with cheesy synth sounds, disco hi-hat, and a chorus melody that sounds like it was written by Chris Martin. And I mean that in the worst possible way. It's just intensely average. But then here comes lucky number 3, "Not Fair." Fantastic western-style production with perfectly edgy but not too over-the-top lyrics, not to mention a gloriously catchy hook. This song is my new favorite by Lily. It took a lot of willpower not to immediately lift the needle and listen to this track over and over. No, I had to soldier on. Well, rather than go through the record track-by-track, I'll tell you that this album goes back and forth between great, well-crafted pop tunes and super average pop tunes. I don't hate a single song on the record, but a little more than half the songs are instantly forgettable. Other tracks I really enjoyed (none as much as "Not Fair") would be "Never Gonna Happen," "Fuck You," and "He Wasn't There." It's possible the other songs would grow on me, but after a single listen, these were the only tracks I made note of wanting to hear again. These songs are pretty great, so they do balance out some of the mediocrity found between them, but no matter how you slice it, it's an uneven effort.
This is the first picture disc I'll be reviewing for sound quality, and the first thing you should know if you don't already is that picture discs don't sound great. That's a general rule and it doesn't matter whether you're listening to Lily Allen or John Coltrane. God, I hope there's no Coltrane picture discs out there. Anyway, since this is Lily Allen, that means it's slightly worse than the already not-great sound. The record is too bright, and it plays back sounding shrill and at times a little painful in the high end. The song "Back To The Start" sounded exceptionally harsh and cluttered, which is a shame because it's a decent tune, but the sound really ruined it for me. It's not a horrible sounding LP at all, and it doesn't have the unlistenable distortion that plagued the last major pop release I reviewed, but it does sound bright and compressed, just like what I'd imagine the CD would sound like. So for this one, unless you're a super fan and want to see what Lily looks like sitting in a big L and spinning around on your turntable, you can take a pass and just pick up the CD or download it. Vinyl is not worth the price or the effort.
Packaging is the frequently seen picture disc package, which is a thick clear plastic sleeve the record sits in. This means that the face of the picture disc is the only real artwork you get, save a small pink sticker on the front that gives you the album title and track listing. There's also an even smaller sticker that says "Parental Advisory: Explicit Content." Can you tell there's not much to discuss here? No download or anything, which sucks, but I think record labels think these sorts of things are less for listening and more for owning as a collectible. The record does look really cool sitting in it's sleeve, so I gave it relatively high marks, considering how little you get.
Lily Allen is capable of writing stellar pop tunes. She really is. I've heard them. She needs more practice, but more than that, she needs to be more self-confident and willing to step out of the box more frequently. There's already such an abundance of generic pop tunes... if you're capable of making a catchy song with a unique voice and alternative instrumentation, why not go for it? Develop a reputation for tireless innovation and you'll be a star forever. And THEN you can start to play it safe and people won't mind. Just ask this guy. BURN!!!
Buy the LP at Amazon.com
Buy the LP at InSound.com
Tomorrow: The Jesus and Mary Chain - Psychocandy
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