Ty Listens to "Solar Power"

Ten days ago Lorde put out her long awaited third album, "Solar Power". I had heard the two singles she released early, I am a fan and like so many others I was pretty excited to listen to the record. I listened the morning it came out, listened again right after that and have gone back here and there in the last week plus to get my ears on it some more.

“Solar Power” is different from Lorde’s first two records. She exploded on the scene with "Pure Heroine" and "Melodrama" is a masterpiece. I was curious to see what direction she would go in with this album, and it is a whole new direction. And I enjoy it. I have seen some people giving it tepid reviews, but I have enjoyed every listen to this point.

The record is very stripped down. It is very acoustic. It is very sleepy in a good way. Putting the record out in late August was perfect because the album has the feeling of the end of summer. Jack Antonoff produced it and the more records I hear that he produces I am finding that I like them. I am not a huge fan of his bands. Fun is okay, Bleachers is fine, but I do not dig the music he plays. His producing for pop stars is top notch though. He has a gift and the ear to produce pop music. I also like how he has the artists kind of go bare bones with the albums he helps them make. Doing with this Lorde could have been a misstep, but both of them found a way to make it work and make it great.

Like I said, the album is slower and way stripped down from her first two. It is a nice change of pace. I love listening to the record when I am cleaning the house or going for a drive. My daughter really enjoys the record. She is growing to like slower, more folky music as she gets older. I love it. I think what I love most about the album is it lets Lorde's vocals totally shine. Her voice is the main, and most important instrument on this record. Lorde is a great singer, with a powerful voice and "Solar Power" really lets that shine. That is not to say that the first two records don't do that, but there is a ton of instruments and music backing her vocals. "Solar Power" is light piano, some drums and acoustic guitars backing Lorde's vocals. It is perfect. I also like how quick the album moves. No song is longer than five minutes, except the closer which is like two songs melded together. The middle of the album meanders for a bit, maybe two songs, but even the meandering works on the record. There is one song where she talks at the end as if she is an announcer in the airport, and I love that song. After the two slower tunes though she rips through three or four songs that are super short, but super good. Those songs are all about the lyrics and Lorde shines through singing the words she wrote. I especially love the song "Dominoes".

I do not get the backlash that this record is receiving from some, but there will always be critics for everything. All I know is I really like the record. Lorde is as reliable a musician as we have right now. When she puts out new music it will be good. It will have people talking. Fans will be delighted and she will make new fans. As I always say, I like when artists take chances, try something new, and that is what Lorde has done with "Solar Power". I really enjoy this record and I definitely recommend you give it a listen.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Listens to Lorde's "Solar Power"

For the first time in, I think four years, Lorde released a new song. I saw her on her last tour and it was amazing. Her last album, "Melodrama", is phenomenal. She is a very unique and gifted singer and songwriter. She also takes a very long time in between albums. As I said, this is her first new song in four years, and it is just one song. I have to imagine an album is coming out, hopefully sometime soon. But this song, "Solar Power", is pretty damn great.

I saw on Spotify last week that the title section, "New Music" had her new song. I listened immediately. Then I listened again. Then again. I have been listening to the song non stop, which has led me to listening to all her older stuff more and more. But this new song is different but still great. Lorde keeps evolving as an artist the older she gets. Her music is becoming more adult because she is becoming an adult. Her first album is rad, but you can tell she is a teenager. The song "Royals", which I love, speaks volumes to how young she was when she wrote and recorded it. The whole "Melodrama" album shows someone entering adulthood. And now with "Solar Power", she is kind of melding the two, and the outcome is pure magic. The song has this neat little acoustic guitar riff for the first two minutes that is permanently stuck in my head. You add on her vocals throughout, where she is kind of softly singing, almost like a whisper, and man does it work. The song sounds moody but upbeat at the same time. She has one lyric that I think is perfection. At one point she calls herself a "prettier Jesus". That is it. She sings, "I'm like a prettier Jesus", and it is so awesome, so profound, so Lorde. The first time I heard her sing it in the song I was hooked. When we get to the two minute point in the song it gets louder and heavier. It builds to this great crescendo of drums, electric guitar and Lorde singing the chorus louder than the rest of the song. I love it so much.

I have been playing the new song in my car on repeat, but especially when my five year old is with me. I want her to hear kickass music coming from a woman. I want her to know that she can do this too if she wants, and if she puts in the time. We listen to other stuff like, Karen O, Sleater-Kinney, Lizzo and Erykah Badu, but my daughter, at least lately, has been picking Lorde, and more specifically, her new song. She loves it. She hums and sings along to it. We sing and dance together when we listen to it on our stereo at home. It is such a good song, and the fact that my daughter is so into it lets me know she has good taste and understands what good music is. She is a smart little whip.

"Solar Power" has me so excited for the new, I assume, album that Lorde has coming down the pipe. She is one of the best people making music right now, and I still feel like she gets overlooked because she isn't some pop darling. She writes profound, deep music. That is what should be celebrated about her. Lorde rules. I'm ready for the full album. In the meantime, I think I'll go play "Solar Power" again. I recommend you do too.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.