KANGA : "Under Glass"

 

She is back with another synth-driven stab at aggressive pop, sung from the shadows in a sultry alto. This time however the sound is underlit with neon. The melodies are perhaps more graceful this time around. The chorus to the title track reminds me of Sarah Mclaughlin The verses are not so much. The song itself is not as fine-tuned in the melody department as the opening track. "Bad Girl" works more over a groove, the lyrics are not the most thoughtful and this album feels like a more deliberate step in a commercial pop direction. Not that she is going for Taylor Swift-style hooks, but it is closer to it than her last album.  

"Rehab" is not an Amy Winehouse it pumps off a steamy 90s-flavored beat. The adolescent carefree nature of the attitude lurking under this album's performance works best on this song. "Romance" is marginally darker than the previous song, with things moving more like future pop, than say darkwave, and far from industrial which I have seen this album referenced as in some corners of the internet. "Magnolia" was one of the lead singles from this album, and it makes sense as it has a great deal of mainstream appeal. The first real ballad is "Dark Lullaby" which works well enough though is not one of the best songs on this album. 

Most of her vocal charm lies in how the sugary melodies are layered. Often double-tracked, though without the aid of auto-tune, making her more capable of singing than most pop stars today. Instruments are being played on this album, many of the bass lines sound like they are played on an actual bass. There might even be organic drums played on "Midnight Horses" which is a rarity on pop albums not made by Taylor Swift. The rock elements that were hinted at in the previous song are again flirted with. This helps the song to come together with a higher level of dynamics. "Last Drive' feels like it is drifting into the more ethereal zip code that Grimes normally writes in.  "Water" takes on a more electronic feel to close out the album. I will give this album a 9, it works really well and she has some strong moments for this celebration of forward-thinking pop that still owes a debt to the industry that spawned it.