Birdy's new album Beautiful Lies is out and it is wonderful.
I first came across Birdy, as did many others, when I first heard her stunning cover of Skinny Love, which she released in 2011 at the mere age of 14 (for reference, Birdy is a year older than me). With two albums and a Brit award nomination for Best Female Solo Artist (which is a huge deal!), Birdy's back with her third album, Beautiful Lies, which is a much more mature, experimental array into indie pop.
As with my other reviews, I'll talk about the tracks from the standard version and then give a few thoughts on the deluxe songs as a whole (because there are 18 songs in the deluxe), and then give my overall rating of the album. Let's get started. Hopefully, the Spotify links work(!)
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| Source: Twitter @birdy |
1. Growing Pains
Birdy kicks off Beautiful Lies with an oriental declaration of her level of maturity as an established musician, it's an interesting song. The change in her voice from her previous two albums, Birdy and Fire Within, is instantly recognisable. It's a good change, though. Birdy's able to adapt her voice to suit songs at ease, pure talent.
2. Shadow
"How good is this?" was my first thought when Shadow started playing. It's a good ol' Birdy song, some classic material. But then the chorus kicks in, and once again Birdy showcases her more mature sound. It's baroque/indie vibes blended with Birdy's tender vocals really make this song come together as a whole.
3. Keeping Your Head Up
The lead single from the album, Keeping Your Head Up is everything I've wanted from Birdy and more. Channeling Foxes and Florence + the Machine with the classic Birdy twist, Keeping Your Head Up's chorus is standouts amidst the passionate verses, it's catchy and actually is quite 'groovy'. Birdy goes pop and it is f a n t a s t i c.
4. Deep End
After the energetic, hands in the air vibes from Keeping Your Head Up, Birdy hits hard with Deep End. This is it, this is the tearjerker. It's raw, it's pure, and it's proper good. The production on this song is simple yet genius, really adding to the song. "I don't know if you mean everything to me, and I wonder can I give you what you need" is a lyric that hits hards.
5. Wild Horses
I think firstly we need to appreciate how fantastic that music video is, and then we need to appreciate the fact that this is a brilliant song. Wild Horses, the fifth track from Beautiful Lies, is the highlight of the album. Birdy blends maturity with youth in the best possible way and it works. really. well. The chorus is strong, the breakdown is even quite fun, and Birdy's vocals are 'on fleek' as some people would say. "I will move on and you should know I mean it" YOU GO BIRDY.
6. Lost It All
Birdy does a really good job of including an array of tracks, a variety of upbeat songs like Wild Horses and Keeping Your Head Up to tearjerkers like Deep End and Lost It All. Unfortunately, I do think that Lost It All can become a bit lost amidst the rest of the songs of the album. That's not to say it's a bad song because it is very, very good, but that the slow pace is very reminiscent of Birdy songs we may have already heard in the past.
7. Silhouette
Like Lost It All, this could perhaps get lost in the album, but I feel it's superb and is definitely worth your time. It's a song that tells a story, as are many others, but with Silhouette, it's evident that it's a storyteller which works in its favour. Birdy's voice stands out particularly in this song, showcasing the range and power she has on top of a moving array of instruments and backing vocals.
8. Lifted
I'm getting Foxes/Lapsley/Bastille/Dua Lipa vibes from this and it really benefits the song. The production on this song is intriguing, the chorus is actually very enticing and chilled. I envision a music video on a beach with panning shots and venturing through a forest, but that may just be my inner media production geek shining through. It's a wonderful song, though. I can see Birdy potentially doing something with this song in spring/summer.
9. Take My Heart
This was a surprise, the song is sultry and powerful which I wasn't expecting. But, it's good. I initially thought it would be another song that could be forgotten about quickly, but Take My Heart is one of the standout songs on the album. It's a nice twist in Beautiful Lies, although it may take more than one listen to get used to, but the sound is amazing and I'd love to hear more songs like this!
10. Hear You Calling
I didn't like it, at first. But then the chorus kicked in and I was swaying around, feeling like I was in some kind of 90s teen-drama. I'm not how that entirely relates to the song, but the chorus to Hear You Calling is one that stands out the most in the album. This is a feel-good song with lyrical depth and creative production.
11. Words
An emotive song with depth and style, although perhaps another that could get lost, especially after following Hear You Calling. As with the others, it is a marvelous song that deserves attention, although I'm uncertain it will when put against Wild Horses, Hear You Calling and Take My Heart.
12. Save Yourself
Birdy goes deep with Save Yourself, in literal terms considering her vocal range. The backing vocals in this song are particularly fascinating, although I hate to admit that this might be my least favourite from the album. I should clarify that there are no bad songs on Beautiful Lies, but instead some that merely stand out a lot more than others which is typical with any album. I imagine Save Yourself will be one of those songs that some like and some don't.
13. Unbroken
This is classic Birdy, genuinely classic. It's simple and tender, the lyrics are gentle and emotive, and a good penultimate track to the ending of Beautiful Lies (on the standard edition).
14. Beautiful Lies
I think I would have preferred a more upbeat ending circa Wild Horses or Keeping Your Head Up, but the title track does well to keep with the general aesthetic and storytelling of the whole album. It's marvelous, and a fantasticly soft close to the album.
Deluxe
15. Beating Heart
Personally, I do feel the album should have ended with Beating Heart. It's the perfect song and really manages to encapture the themes and narrative of Beautiful Lies. I'm pleased it made it onto the deluxe version, because it's a wonderful song.
16. Winter
You can never go wrong with some acoustic Birdy, right? Indie-folk at it's very best, the vulnerability in Birdy's voice and the gentle production stands out here. It gets superb towards the end though.
17. Give Up
Oh my, this is brilliant. All I ask is for more Give Up-style songs. I'm speechless, this is like if Birdy was a pokemon and she evolved. Is that a weird analogy? Sorry.
18. Start Again
A fascinating song, the song flows well and the production on this song in particular is definitely worth praise.
Overall
While Beautiful Lies does have certain flaws, with some songs perhaps being forgettable and too similar to previously released music by Birdy, that's easily dismissed when considering the excellent flow and variety of music in the album. Birdy has showcased her talent and maturity while embracing her youth and becoming the perfect bridge between indie and pop. Birdy's third album is a success and she's here to stay.
Apologies for being away for so long, 16 days in fact. After releasing the book I've been doing some promo and having a rest. I've also started my second book, and am working on a new schedule for blog posts here on Totally Culture. Be sure to follow me on twitter - @totallyculture, like my Facebook page, check out my Instagram and my Goodreads profile.
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