By Max Luebbers ’16 and Siddharth Jejurikar ’16, Entertainment Editors
Max’s Perspective:
Attention, the bizarre and defiant FKA twigs has release her most recent “work of art.” The-27-year old British pop singer received near-universal critical acclaim last year for her first full-length album entitled LP-1, yet I have put off giving her a thorough listen until now. I decided the release of her most recent EP M3LL155X (pronounced “Melissa”) would be a perfect time to judge her merits for myself.
It is immediately clear that Twigs isn’t your traditional pop singer. She delves deep into electronic experimentation, past the superficial synth work of today’s radio pop. She excels in her pursuit of a more spartan sound. In that way she has something in common with artists like Lorde and Lana Del Rey who are at the head of the new minimalist sect of modern pop. However, unlike the songs by Lana Del Rey or Lorde, which tend to be very syrupy and dominated by very powerful yet equally weighty vocal work, Twigs’s songs are light and wispy, but can also pack a punch. She works in tandem with the very sparse, ambient, and often industrial instrumentals. The electronic layers of the EP are handled very well. They are tied tightly to Twigs vocals, dancing back and forth, each one affecting the other. With each percussion beat her voice crunches like a low-quality radio, while with each line the vocals give way to a complimentary synth tone. This attention to detail and production value makes FKA twigs far more compelling and deep than any recent pop or electronic artist.
M3LLI55K derives its title from the name of FKA twigs’ alleged “Female Energy,” and it shows. While her vocal delivery is airy, it has a power that many singers dream of having. Her lyrical work is sultry, elegant, and almost hyper-sexual. But incredibly the themes that are so pervasive throughout the EP are not over-played, but instead create a focused and bizarre vignette of Twigs’ sexuality.
Her experimentality often leads her into some pitfalls. Erratic delivery accompanied by her high vocal range can sound breathy at times. The diverse range of industrial sounds used as a backing track also causes a lack of memorable hooks or patterns that will stay with you after the EP is over. That of course isn’t to say that FKA twigs’ vocal ability is something to be missed. In fact she is well on her way to being one of pop’s great vocalists, and may soon be among the likes of the legendary and experimental singer Björk. Don’t underestimate the lack of memorable groove over the course of the EP either. There is plenty to dissect during the 18 minute runtime, and if any artist could get away with such a style it would be Twigs. The diversity and layers of sound along with her strong lyrical work are compelling, and the EP never runs out of steam. If it had gone on for much longer FKA twigs unconventional sound might have become too much. So forceful is her delivery that sonic overload is a real threat.
Overall M3LLI5K’s unconventional style is used to the EP’s advantage. It’s unusual, refreshing and unique. Sometimes it can be dragged down by its own peculiarities, such as the track, “Glass & Patron”, which certainly less elegant with its production than the other songs on the release, but it certainly isn’t the norm. The EP is a new experience for me. I don’t have much of an affinity for pop let alone electronica, but FKA twigs is quickly proving to be something special, with incredible singing ability as well as a true creative instinct. If you can get yourself past the unusual instrumentation and production, FKA twigs will deliver a well-conceived snippet of electro-pop.
Max’s Recommendations:
Vulnicura by Björk: Personally I prefer Björk’s vocal work over FKA twigs, however they share very distinct similarities. It is clear that Twigs took influence from the Icelandic singer’s experimental pop that has been consistently released over the past two or so decades. With years of solid creative releases Björk has become one of the most prolific and norm-defying artists of recent years.
Zammuto by Zammuto: Originally part of the Avant-Garde Massachusetts group The Books, Nick Zammuto has released two solo albums since his break with musical partner Paul De Jong. His reputation for solid electronic and experimental work lives on in his first solo release and it is accompanied by more conventional alt-rock sounds. If you’re looking for a less pop-y style make sure to check him out.
Sidd’s Perspective:
Building off the momentum of her successful 2014 LP, LP1, experimental pop artist FKA Twigs released a new EP, M3LL155X, along with an accompanying video on August 13th of this year. Though partially self-produced, much of the creative direction of M3LL155X’s instrumentals comes from Boots, best known for his works in pop and hip-hop. Boots produced Beyoncé’s eponymous album and is featured on the hook for Run the Jewel’s “Early” from their album Run the Jewels 2, delivering a dreamy performance with haunting vocals. His former works are mirrored into M3LL155X, which is infused with the same dream-like energy and pop stylings that FKA Twigs consistently conveys. The name of the EP translates to plain English as Melissa. Melissa is not the real name of FKA Twigs; instead, she is the embodiment of all of her personal feminine energy. To FKA Twigs, Melissa is the real artist and the EP works as her completely unbounded release of self-expression. Her accompanying video for M3LL155X comes into play in this aspect, using art-dance to complement the music and reflect the same thematic messages. The video, which can be found on her official YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYU3j-22360), gives a more solid look at the feelings and themes expressed within the work as a whole. Continuing her style that bridges the world of radio-pop to the world of avant-garde electronica, Twigs delivers an incredibly striking work, full of intense moments, capturing sounds, and lyrical mastery in less than twenty minutes.
The first track, “Figure 8” kicks off M3LL155X without any training wheels. Anyone listening to the song will know almost immediately whether or not FKA Twigs is right for them. She holds nothing back and creates no illusions about her accessibility, delivering something akin to a much less dance-y and much artsier version of house-musician Jlin’s record Dark Energy. While the instrumentals to the track have an abnormal cadence and use very experimental sampled/synthesized sounds all the way through, segments of Twigs’ vocals near the end are edited to create a terrifying tone complementing already morose lyrics brilliantly, “Figures of 8 around your face/ Elaborate, your eternity/ You’re so f****** fake that it’s hurting me/ I’m just jealous cause you’re more alive than what I’ll ever be/ I take a step, I break my neck.” Following after “Figure 8” is “I’m Your Doll”, a tense song that showcases themes of sensuality and humanity’s base carpal desires that FKA Twigs utilized extensively LP1, especially in tracks like “Lights On”. The intensity of “I’m Your Doll” is derived from Twigs’ token ability to create dark, creepy, almost stalking vocals. The album begins to develop into a much more accessible and pop-like record with the tracks “In Time” and “Glass and Patron”. While there are certain pitfalls to this transition, include a very jarring use of auto-tune-like voice effects on “In Time”, the overall production quality and artistic integrity of the songs are not marred. The very rhythmic and melodic instrumentals on “Glass and Patron” serve it well, contrasting the progressively sparse industrial production on “Figure 8”. Finally comes “Mothercreep”, a track enveloped in rumbling sub-bass and an incredible vocal performance—capping off the album in a way that leaves you wanting more.
M3LL155X is a testament to the potential of experimental music in both the pop and electronic worlds. FKA Twigs’ light, breathy vocals coupled with cutting-edge production work hit hard, injecting raw feeling into the listener. Primal lyrics and incredibly sexual themes permeate the album, juxtaposed with creepy sounds and dark instrumentation, demonstrating the artistic magnificence that FKA Twigs and her production team were able to come up with. With the potential to terrify and seduce, the songs on M3L155X are not for the faint of heart. FKA Twigs proved herself again with this EP, once more giving the combined worlds of indietronica, dream-pop, and experimental music something to pore over for a long time.
Sidd’s Recommendations:
Post by Björk: Electro-pop pioneer Björk has been consistently pumping out critically-acclaimed works since the 80s. Though Post features much more big-band type instrumentation and Björk’s vocals tend towards being much less airy and lithe than those of FKA Twigs, the overall themes and sounds of experimental pop are still prevalent.
No Love Deep Web by Death Grips: If you are the exact opposite of a pop fan but love the intense production work on M3LL155X then the Death Grips might be right for you. MC Ride leads this extremely off-norm group with growling, angry, and frankly disturbing rapping on top of harsh synthesizers and industrial/noise music influenced instrumentation.
