Lenka is the perfect antidote to waking up feeling slightly grumpy. It might be because my vicious new stomach crunching routine has left my ab muscles aching. It might be because I was so tired last night, I went to bed at 8pm! It might be because so darn chirpy that if she slapped you in the face, and then sang to you, you would still probably end up smiling at her and saying "ooo, ta luv". As you do. Her debut epononymous album could be described by lazy people as the antipodean Lily Allen, and while it's true she knocks out that sort of infernally catchy confessional ditty that Lily does so well, there are elements of Sophie Ellis Bextor and creative use of instruments in her work also. The album opens with the frankly glorious little tune "The Show" (not an acoustic reading of the Girls Aloud number either!). Already a little bit ubiquitous (is that even possible?) thanks to being featured on Ugly Betty, it's a plinkity plonkity sing a long about not worrying too much about the big stuff and just enjoying what is going on around you. I frankly can't wait to see her live at a festival next year and chant along to "I want my money back, i want my money back". Quite a brave lyric to put in there, particularly if she is having a crap night :( Yes, it's a little bit like 1,2,3,4 on too much sugar, but it totally works and is rather adorable. And perkiness is the name of the game here. Oh sure towards the end, there are a couple of introspective ballads (that, while nice, aren't her strongest suit), but it's the sugary goodness that has got me loving this album so very much. Bring Me Down is practically a choo choo train of popposity, so chugging along with melody and hooks it is, while Skipalong is one of those songs that makes you do what the title suggests (a la Don't Stop Moving). Beneath the impossibly catchy melodies however, beats the heart of a troubled soul as the lyrics add a needed dimension to the songs to stop them being totally throwaway. Trouble Is A Friend might have a bongo groove running as an undercurrent, but the lyrics frame trouble as something that haunts you throughout life, so you might as well embrace it and get on with it. Anything I'm Not is so full of self hatred and need to be something she's not, that it's actually quite surprising that the music is so perky. And she's almost unashamedly forthright on Dangerous and Sweet, as she spouts out about her tendancy to over analyse everything in her far too difficult relationship. It's the candour that makes her so appealing, and the added whistles and bells just sweeten this Frente for the new millenium pie. Gorge.
Potential singles: The Show; Bring Me Down; Don't Let Me Fall; Trouble Is A Friend
Lenka is the perfect antidote to waking up feeling slightly grumpy. It might be because my vicious new stomach crunching routine has left my ab muscles aching. It might be because I was so tired last night, I went to bed at 8pm! It might be because so darn chirpy that if she slapped you in the face, and then sang to you, you would still probably end up smiling at her and saying "ooo, ta luv". As you do. Her debut epononymous album could be described by lazy people as the antipodean Lily Allen, and while it's true she knocks out that sort of infernally catchy confessional ditty that Lily does so well, there are elements of Sophie Ellis Bextor and creative use of instruments in her work also. The album opens with the frankly glorious little tune "The Show" (not an acoustic reading of the Girls Aloud number either!). Already a little bit ubiquitous (is that even possible?) thanks to being featured on Ugly Betty, it's a plinkity plonkity sing a long about not worrying too much about the big stuff and just enjoying what is going on around you. I frankly can't wait to see her live at a festival next year and chant along to "I want my money back, i want my money back". Quite a brave lyric to put in there, particularly if she is having a crap night :( Yes, it's a little bit like 1,2,3,4 on too much sugar, but it totally works and is rather adorable. And perkiness is the name of the game here. Oh sure towards the end, there are a couple of introspective ballads (that, while nice, aren't her strongest suit), but it's the sugary goodness that has got me loving this album so very much. Bring Me Down is practically a choo choo train of popposity, so chugging along with melody and hooks it is, while Skipalong is one of those songs that makes you do what the title suggests (a la Don't Stop Moving). Beneath the impossibly catchy melodies however, beats the heart of a troubled soul as the lyrics add a needed dimension to the songs to stop them being totally throwaway. Trouble Is A Friend might have a bongo groove running as an undercurrent, but the lyrics frame trouble as something that haunts you throughout life, so you might as well embrace it and get on with it. Anything I'm Not is so full of self hatred and need to be something she's not, that it's actually quite surprising that the music is so perky. And she's almost unashamedly forthright on Dangerous and Sweet, as she spouts out about her tendancy to over analyse everything in her far too difficult relationship. It's the candour that makes her so appealing, and the added whistles and bells just sweeten this Frente for the new millenium pie. Gorge.
