Pnau - Changa

This is the fifth album from electronica band Pnau. It was released in 2017, five years after Good Morning to the Night.

Things start off well with Save Disco... initially. The thic bass and trance-like groove present a snappy and engaging experience. However there isn't much progression throughout the song, so by the end I feel that it has outstayed its welcome.

Chameleon is inoffensive and I'd really enjoy it as part of a club/bar atmosphere. If it sounds like damning it with faint praise, yes unfortunately it doesn't hold my interest for active listening.

Skipping ahead to the largely unintelligible madness that is Changa, I'm a huge fan. It's very catchy and wonderfully cheesy. I could only take Changa in limited doses, but on those occasions it's a barrel of joy.

In My Head brings a nice change-of-pace to proceedings. I can't put my finger on why, but I really enjoy it. Then Into the Sky brings some Moby influences to the album. Again, I'm not sure why, but it doesn't appeal to me.

For many other songs, I'd written down various nitpicky attempts to justify why it doesn't appeal, but I guess that in the end it's just a style I'm not really into.

However, there's one last treat in store with Changes. Like a cowbell or offbeat guitar, I reckon a children's choir is always a recipe for success. Changes makes great use of it to round out the experience in a wonderfully understated manner.

 

Favourite songs

Changa, In My Head, Changes

 

I diggit?

It's possible I haven't given this album enough listens to properly appreciate it. On the other hand, maybe it'd be just forcing the issue on something that's just not my cup of tea.

Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You

This is the second studio album from pop artist Lily Allen. It was released in 2009, three years after Alright Still.

So if I were Ms Allen's record company executive just prior to this album being released, the conversation would have gone something like this: "Lily, I think you're a wonderful person (100% true) and these songs clearly come straight from the heart (ditto). But they're not quite polished enough, they need more work before we can release this".

Or perhaps it's just that the Atomic Kitten-esque domesticated style of much of this album is too far out of my comfort zone. Most songs have moments of greatness, but often it's a catchy chorus that's let down by dud verses (The Fear, Who'd Have Known) or vice-versa (Everyone's At It, 22, Never Gonna Happen).

However, it all comes together perfectly for Not Fair, with the unusual spaghetti-western flavouring that works a treat. To me, it's a return to everything that made her debut album brilliant: innocent-sounding catchy pop that is wonderfully contrasted by biting lyrics.

On a similar note, F*ck You unleashes a torrent of bitter, hateful lyrics... ahh, perfect! Outside of the chorus, lyrics are actually quite a well articulated argument against intolerance. But of course the wonderfully immature chorus is the highlight, with the absurd profanity being perfectly complemented by catchy sugar-pop being cranked up to eleven. It's like Killing in the Name Of inside a bubblegum-pop trojan horse...

 

Favourite songs

Not Fair, F*ck You

 

I diggit?

No, sorry.