A beautiful and meditative album, Are You Alone? is suitably magical and properly mesmerizing.
As background music for thinking, feeling or meditating, this album is peaceful and thoughtful. The lyrics are almost spoken, not sung, with echoing chorus and mellow verses. A little like storytelling if you focus in on the lyrics, and a little like the sleep-sounds soundtracks sold at national geographic if you don’t. The souring electronic, space sounds and heart-thumping piano kind of envelops your eardrums and sends you to a rainforest floor for a nap.
Favourite tracks include ‘So Blue’, because it’s uplifting in a kind of gradual way – like if you’re half asleep but need a little encouragement to get up and face the day – “try not to be so blue”. The way the word blue is sung, melting in a sort of wavering, vulnerable way is transfixing.
‘Silver Car Crash’ has really striking simulated voices that surprise [and delight] throughout the track – as well as yet more brutally honest and raw lyrics. A track that reminded me a little of Cold Play – a la ‘Princess Of China’, with deep vocals much like Chris Martin and the echoing electronic sounds of a stadium show – imagine the music reverberating off 10,000 seat grandstands, with screaming crowds all of a sudden a-hush with awe.
Overall the album is quiet, but also says a lot. The beautiful lyrics and hypnotizing vocals are amplified by the Bjork-ish broken music – the record having a very confusing by compelling effect on listeners.
7/10
Reviewer: Marley Tinnock