Karen O - Crush Songs
Crush Songs
Karen O
Tiger Rating: 6.5 / 10
Indie / Garage / Lo-Fi
Proving that she is more than some Gothic, wailing, kickass banshee with her band, the first softer glimpse we got of Karen Lee Orzolek was on Yeah Yeah Yeahs' third studio album 'It's Blitz!'. Perhaps we owe it to producer Dave Sitek for drawing out KO's softer side on tracks like 'Skeletons', 'Little Shadow' and the still fresh and irresistible 'Hysteric', but from that point on she could wear her heart safety pinned to her sleeve and not be any less of a rock star for it. Providing a soundtrack for the screen adaptation of 'Where The Wild Things Are' in 2009 was Karen's first major step away from her band and our first genuine assurance that Karen O could craft something as consistently soft, gorgeous, quirky and sweet as her offerings with the band had been hard, sneering, sexy and savage.
'Crush Songs' comes in the wake of the confusing experiment the YYY's last album was (an album that has grown on me loads since), and a couple more saccharine contributions to soundtracks.
Unfortunately on 'Crush Songs' - her first official solo album - when the paltry 26 minutes is over (not one track reaches even 3 minutes), you're left relaxed and not much else.
Karen is one of those people it's very hard not to love. I've had a crush on her since I was 16, which is why I've followed her career so eagerly and was on the edge of my seat waiting for 'Crush Songs' to debut. "These songs were written + recorded in private around [the age of 27]. They are the soundtrack to what was an ever continuing love crusade" she explained on her website. The softness and heartache is there. It's not despairing or tragic. From the first strum of the guitar to the last high pitched whistle and hum, the gear here is neutral. Nothing ever gets heavy ("crushing"), but unfortunately the airiness of every track only serves to alienate the listener. If these are indeed emotionally wrenching songs for her, then that is not ever really translated.
On the other hand, perhaps the complete lack of studio production (every song sounds like it was recorded in her bedroom and probably was) also serves to shed a very intimate light on proceedings. The rawness of it all supports her assertion that these are heartfelt songs, even if, as a listener, you're left wondering what they're about.
It's a conflicting album for me, though it's so short and simple. It's a sorbet album - sweet and refreshing and not much else. A palate cleanser and I'm sure the odd song on shuffle will be welcome. But with so many half baked ideas and one truly gorgeous track that suffers from pallid production ('Sunset King'), 'Crush Songs' is not epic but it is sweet.
WVS
'Crush Songs' comes in the wake of the confusing experiment the YYY's last album was (an album that has grown on me loads since), and a couple more saccharine contributions to soundtracks.
Unfortunately on 'Crush Songs' - her first official solo album - when the paltry 26 minutes is over (not one track reaches even 3 minutes), you're left relaxed and not much else.
Karen is one of those people it's very hard not to love. I've had a crush on her since I was 16, which is why I've followed her career so eagerly and was on the edge of my seat waiting for 'Crush Songs' to debut. "These songs were written + recorded in private around [the age of 27]. They are the soundtrack to what was an ever continuing love crusade" she explained on her website. The softness and heartache is there. It's not despairing or tragic. From the first strum of the guitar to the last high pitched whistle and hum, the gear here is neutral. Nothing ever gets heavy ("crushing"), but unfortunately the airiness of every track only serves to alienate the listener. If these are indeed emotionally wrenching songs for her, then that is not ever really translated.
On the other hand, perhaps the complete lack of studio production (every song sounds like it was recorded in her bedroom and probably was) also serves to shed a very intimate light on proceedings. The rawness of it all supports her assertion that these are heartfelt songs, even if, as a listener, you're left wondering what they're about.
It's a conflicting album for me, though it's so short and simple. It's a sorbet album - sweet and refreshing and not much else. A palate cleanser and I'm sure the odd song on shuffle will be welcome. But with so many half baked ideas and one truly gorgeous track that suffers from pallid production ('Sunset King'), 'Crush Songs' is not epic but it is sweet.
WVS
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