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ALBUM REVIEW: "Melodrama" by Lorde

   Melodrama is a staggering pop album that manages to sound thick with grief without getting weighed down in self-pity, an achievement in itself. Not having really listened to Lorde's debut album Pure Heroine I wasn't really sure what to expect, but Melodrama took me by complete surprise and really got to me if I'm completely honest; topics of loss, love and grief are rarely treated with such authenticity and honesty. It's immediately evident how much work and craft has gone into every corner of this record, and it's really satisfying listening to something that bleeds with care and obsession the way Melodrama does. The most impressive thing I found in this album was the way it progresses and shifts while maintaining a focus on the overall theme and direction it establishes; something I was hoping the new London Grammar record would have done better than it did. Production wise it sounds fantastic, the electronic-tinged soundscapes never overpowering the voice as the focal point of the record. As Lorde herself has said, Melodrama is "a record about being alone", and it somehow succeeds in this while also being a catchy, hook laden monster of a pop album.

   Favourite Songs: Green Light, Homemade Dynamite, Hard Feelings/Loveless and Writer In The Dark

    Least Favourite Song: Sober

   Rating: A

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