Ellie Goulding is starting to make a name for herself. She has been nominated for various awards since 2010. Some of them include The Q Awards’ Best Female Artist and Best Breakthrough Artist, the MTV Europe Awards’ Best UK & Ireland Act, and the Teen Choice Awards’ Choice Breakout Artist. Although she didn’t win any of these awards, she has won a few others. Goulding has won BBC’s Sound of 2010, the BRIT Award’s Critics Choice, and Pandora Newcomer of the Year 2011.
Goulding comes all the way from “across the pond” (psst…that means she’s from the UK). Gouldings’ first break-out single “Lights” reached the number 2 spot on the US Billboard Hot 100 in August 2012. Her first album, appropriately titled “Lights,” was not well-known as the lead track. More recently, Goulding released her sophomore album in the beginning of October. The album, Halcyon, peaked at number 9 on the Billboard 200 in the US. However, the album reached number 2 on the UK chart.
Recently, I’ve become obsessed with Ellie’s new album. I heard the albums’ lead single, “Anything Could Happen” on the radio one night while in the shower. I didn’t know who the artist was at first, but the voice sounded extremely familiar. Eventually, I figured out it was Ellie Goulding. “Lights” is among my favorite song list and was on the top of my playlist in the summer. Anyway, I was curious to see what her other music sounded like so I checked it out. I listened to the full album on YouTube and I absolutely loved it! I swear I listen to it at least once a day. You can listen to the album here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0wyjpSLGO4
And here’s the track list!
1. Don’t Say a Word
2. My Blood
3. Anything Could Happen
4. Only You
5. Halcyon
6. Figure 8
7. JOY
8. Hanging On
9. Explosions
10. I Know You Care
11. Atlantis
12. Dead in the Water
13. I Need Your Love
The album has a chillax indie synth-pop sound to it. It’s something great to listen to while you’re doing your homework and it provides great background noise for studying or relaxing in your dorm room. My favorite tracks are “Don’t Say a Word”, “My Blood”, “Only You”, and “Figure 8.”
The first track, “Don’t Say a Word,” opens with hypnotizing humming and notes before getting into the lyrics. After the first minute the beat of the drums kicks in. It gives the song a very tribal feel. Three minutes in, the song slows down and birds chirping can be heard through the electronic background noise.
The second track, “My Blood”, is my personal favorite. Although her voice can be in comparison with Adele in this track, the sound is very different. The lyrics are very deep and send a message. The chorus is definitely the highlight of this song. (It’s definitely my highlight.) It gives you a very uplifting feeling. After the second chorus, there’s a tribal interlude complete with drums and a flute.
My other favorite track, “Only You” has a unique sound. It is the first song on the album to use digital sound mixing on her voice. The song is very upbeat compared to the rest of the album. My favorite part is the first thirty seconds J. This song sounds like a cross between the spunkiness of Gwen Stefani and the deep vocals like Kelly Clarkson.
“Figure 8” is one of the more electronic mixes on the album. The song starts out slow before the beat drops to more electronic music. I feel like this song has a rock edge to hit with a mix of electronica with a little bit of pop added in the mix.
I hope you get a chance to listen to the album, it’s great! Just letting you know customers on iTunes gave it five stars! Give it a chance! I know it doesn’t sound much like the pop, hip-hop, or rap music on the radio, but it’s something different that is definitely worth listening to.