Ellie Goulding - Lights

Chances are you will have an opinion on Ellie Goulding. The media has practically demanded that you do, but imagine the BBC’s Sound poll does not exist. Imagine the BRITs Critic’s Choice award was never invented and envisage a world where Marina has no Diamonds and Florence has never even seen a Machine. This world stripped of context and heightened expectation is the one in which we should judge Ellie Goulding. However, when an album plays into the hands of those who want to be lazy, this becomes difficult.

Aged just 23, Goulding is a young girl and despite clearly being ambitious (she got her break after sending Frankmusik her demos) has the air of a rabbit in the headlights as an industry storm collects above her head. This innocence is something that she carries through onto her debut album Lights and is both endearing and restrictive. Symptomatic of Lights being A&R’d in 2009, electro-pop is her standard, as displayed on the singles ‘Starry Eyed’ and ‘Under The Sheets’. But by waving the magic wand of zeitgeist, the album's producers have tripped themselves up, this glossy and detached sound is completely at odds with Goulding’s gentle, considered voice. Had Goulding emerged two to three years ago when the likes of K.T Tunstall and Amy Macdonald were giving Q readers inappropriate feelings, you suspect this album would have been entirely different indeed. Lights sounds like a naïve folk album given a blog house remix. Bleeps and blips cascade around Goulding’s sunny locks, ensuring songs such as ‘Wish I Stayed’ will sound great in a high street store. But where is the authenticity? Presumably at some point soon the country is going to reach saturation point with pretty girls making passable pop aided by synthesisers; so it seems an incredibly safe move to push Goulding down this well worn avenue when the alternative is the equally as comfortable acoustic folk pop direction.

There is angst and longing in Goulding’s voice and hushed delivery that lends itself far better to the battered acoustic guitar and plaid shirt wearing world than she can ever contribute to the sparkle and glamour of FM pop music. Keen fans will know about her covering Midlake and Bon Iver at gigs and on YouTube and this middle England take on Americana (Suburb-icana?) gives Lights some of its more interesting plot twists. Album opener and stand out track ‘Guns and Horses’ starts with nothing but a finger picked guitar and basic drum beat. Goulding’s voice rasps and commands proceedings as she longs to feel the same for a boy who has feelings for her. Elsewhere ‘Wish I Stayed’ and ‘Your Biggest Mistake’ begin in a subdued and human fashion before Goulding frustratingly has her good work hijacked by producer and future solo star in waiting Starsmith with his Auto-Tune happy fingers. Honestly, it’s like Calvin Harris producing a Slow Club album.



Devoid of a true soul or sense of honesty Lights can be a pretty hollow listen. You could argue that away from the aforementioned hype-led anticipation that this album would surprise and charm; yet without the vested interest of big wigs and shareholders Lights might simply not be here. Ellie Goulding is a lost sheep, a girl who should be falling in and out of love whilst learning all she can from people like Feist, Regina Spektor and Joni Mitchell. Instead she is put in uncomfortable looking dresses and made to do dance routines. Let’s just hope she comes out the other side strong enough to get her own voice heard.

6/10

Originally on DrownedinSound.com

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Ellie Goulding - 'Under The Sheets' (Jakwob Remix)

By now you'll all be familiar with Ellie Goulding. If she's not trying to escape the ludicrous hype machine surrounding her then she's comparing exercise to sex so it's all go for her.

I'm reserving judgement on her until the album drops but my initial observation is that all her magic is tied up in production and studio trickery. Having listened to a handfull of tracks now it seems that the manipulation of her sweet but not exactly extraordinary voice by her producer Starsmith is what makes 'Under The Sheets Work' and the finest E.G moment thus far have come from remixers.

The original version of 'Starry Eyed' will become a huge hit - it's inevitable. That's no bad thing either as it's a catchy song and has a weird tribal drum bit in the middle that will sound funny blasting out of white van drivers windows. This Jakwob remix however ties the fractuous original together in a way that renders it's source irrelevant. The twats amongst us will note that this came out last year and that I'm 'late' posting this. That is true but really, I don't care.

MP3: Ellie Goulding - 'Under The Sheets' (Jakwob Remix)

The single now has a video as well...

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NME Radar Mixtape

I don't know about you but I'm a big fan of NME and their new music section is as great as ever right now. To celebrate the start of a new decade there is a mixtape of the mags tips available from NME.com. In a nod to 1986 and all things lo-fi the tape (download/ whatever) is titled C010 and features great names such as Washed Out, Surfer Blood, Frankie & The Heartsrings. Check the blog in the not too distant future for interviews with all of those names plus a few more from this mix.

MP3: NME RADAR MIXTAPE C010

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BBC Sound of 2010

The BBC has published it's famous and influential 'Sound Of...' poll results today and I was asked to take part for the first time.

Tragically, in what can only be described as a huge over sight, only one of my 3 tips made it onto the long listed 15 but y'know- I'll live.

For the record I voted for Everything Everything, Frankie and The Heartstrings and Pulled Apart By Horses on the grounds that I believe they are three bands who will play amazing gigs, make brilliant music and offer something new in 2010.

The final 15 is a mixed bag that only a panel of over 150 names could conjure up. There are the safe bets like Marina, Ellie, Delphic and The Drums lining up alongside breaths of fresh air like Giggs, Joy Orbison and Gold Panda.

2010 is a much harder year to predict than 2009 (Florence, La Roux, GaGa, White Lies) was and it seems to me to be a year set to be shaped by bands on their 2nd or 3rd albums. However if I were a betting man (and I never will be as my Fantasy Football action tells me I'm an awful predictor) then I'd offer that the BBC Sound of 2010 poll will finish as follows.

1. Ellie Goulding
2. The Drums
3. Marina and The Diamonds
4. Everything Everything
5. Hurts

What do you make of the poll? Any names that are sadly missing? Who are your tips for 2010? I'll be publishing 2 slightly different tips lists in the next week or so. Keep 'em peeeled.

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'Under The Sheets'

OK, so blogging about Ellie Goulding as if she's a new act already feels weird which shows just how big this is going to be. Signed to Polydor records Ellie hasn't even headlined a gig yet (First one @Cargo in November) but has already supported Lily Allen and is set to appear on Jools Holland next week (Pretty much mirroring La Roux's start to the move for move). I've listened to 'Under The Sheets' so many times since I got it a few weeks ago and it sounds instantly like a smash hit. She seems more accessible in style and looks than many and the effective but potentially gimmicky vocodered vocals are sadly ripe for a 'hilarious' (read: mortifying) Katy Brand cover this time next year.

It will be interesting to see in 2010 if solo girls do as well as they have this year. I'm not one to attack Florence/ Little Boots etc (Some are though) but you can sense a backlash brewing. Success seems written in the stars for Ellie Goulding though and 'Under The Sheets' will be out on Neon Gold next month. The video was finally aired online today so take a look and see what you think.

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