I’m a huge fan of Kimbra. This New Zealander made her mainstream debut when she was featured in Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know.” After one EP and one full-length album, she released The Golden Echo on August 18, almost three years after her first album. The album is a perfect conglomeration of electropop, jazz and soul that will take you on a magical journey through Kimbra’s mind.
The lead single for The Golden Echo is “90’s Music,” an anthem to everything only 90’s kids would understand. The song is like a musical version of the dial-up computer start-up noise, but trust me, it’s less annoying. It’s full of scratchy guitar, eccentric beats and heavy synth. Honestly, this song is not for everybody, and it may even be a huge turn-off for some of you, but Kimbra is much more than this one song. I like it; I think it’s something new and fresh. It seems like she’s just having a good time writing and trying new things. Even if you don’t like the song, you can’t deny that the video is a perfect 90’s throwback. Kimbra is seen in washes of color and outlandish outfits all giving homage to the good old days of the 90’s.
One of the things that makes Kimbra so unique is her brilliant use of harmonies, and this album sure uses them. “Teen Heat” is the opener to the album and is a harmony masterpiece. “If I cannot stop/ There ain’t gonna be no coming back,” she belts out. Once she utters “back” you are engulfed in what seems to be a choir of Kimbra. Not only is it musically captivating, but also it is beautifully written. Starting out the album like that gave me high hopes for The Golden Echo, and luckily, I was not let down.
On “Miracle,” you get Kimbra’s funky side; it’s the disco song you didn’t know you wanted. The groovy bass line, combined with the new age electronica, gives this hit a fun and new twist on disco. It will have you dancing from start to finish.
Slowing it down a bit, “As You Are” is a beautiful ballad. “Love comes at a cost/But nothing’s ever lost/It’s just another paradox,” she sings over a slew of strings and a heartbreaking piano. I love the simplicity of this song, and you can really feel the emotion inside Kimbra’s voice. It shows her range, how she can go from fun and funky to melancholy and artful, and her ability to write lovely music.
Some other songs to check out include “Goldmine,” an almost hip-hop type song that has a cool, soulful feel to it, and “Nobody But You,” a colorful, fresh love song that’s about finding the love of your life and also has one of the best breakdowns I’ve ever heard.
The Golden Echo is everything I wanted and more. It’s one of those albums that you can listen to from start to finish over and over again. You’re actually supposed to–she adds these transitions between songs that tie in one song to the next. It’s a creative way to make an album into its own entity rather than just a composite of songs and adds a flow to the music that I haven’t heard any other artist do, taking it from simply music to actual art. Kimbra has made a gorgeous album that I’m sure will be on my jams playlist for a long time. It’s tasteful and innovative and has given me even more reasons to love Kimbra.
