Lights overflows with pop that’s as infectious as it is intelligent. But this wasn’t the British chanteuse’s first foray into songwriting — prior to recording her own songs, Goulding had smithed tunes of the teenaged Brit-pop flavor for Diana Vickers and Gabriella Cilmi. Rather than extract from the same well of inspiration, Lights cleverly wafts between indie-folk and electro-pop. The title-track introduces the album with pleasantly soft beats pulsing under her plumed and airy inflections. This...
Lights overflows with pop that’s as infectious as it is intelligent. But this wasn’t the British chanteuse’s first foray into songwriting — prior to recording her own songs, Goulding had smithed tunes of the teenaged Brit-pop flavor for Diana Vickers and Gabriella Cilmi. Rather than extract from the same well of inspiration, Lights cleverly wafts between indie-folk and electro-pop. The title-track introduces the album with pleasantly soft beats pulsing under her plumed and airy inflections. This is nicely contrasted against a driving rhythm in the chorus and some razor-honed hooks in the melody. The rich organic resonance of a wooden acoustic guitar changes the tone on the following “Guns and Horses” while keeping Goulding’s sprightly energy intact. Goulding’s vocal presence throughout balances salience with restraint, especially on “Starry Eyed,” a standout tune that blends helium-infused balladry with tasteful Euro-dance. Conversely, “Under The Sheets” forgoes obvious hooks for less predictable arrangements and melodic detours while maintaining melodies that are impossible to forget. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
