Review of the Week: Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want To Turn Into You

 

Calliope Music Review of the Week

Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want To Turn Into You

Art Pop Extraordinaire, Caroline Polachek, Brings Passion into a Tropical Mix of Electronica and Operatic Vocals.

   Powerful choruses and seductive beats provide energy for Polachek's one of a kind voice. Despite some unvaried instrumentals towards the middle, themes of yearning, attraction and identity give the LP a truly desirable substance.

    Polachek not only has one of the most incredible and unique voices in pop, but pushes the envelope for modern pop music. Caroline has mastered the art of vibrato and uses quick pitch changes to extend and emphasize long notes. This album sees Polachek use her voice to near perfection, with long opera-like wails soaked in reverb and snappy choruses full with unabridged confidence. 

    Instrumentally, this album takes a side step from her previous works, using a wider range of influences, such as EDM, RnB, Spanish guitar, Italian folk and experimental pop music. Although these influences are not all given an equal spotlight, the production does a solid job of blending these different tastes into a cohesive package.

    Speaking of production, Desire is clean, yet maximalist in its ambitions. The mixing is great and there's no real slip between the louder and more quiet moments. All in all, it is clear that a lot of time and effort was put into each sound on this record. 

    Lyrically, Caroline provides a deep dive into the nature of desire and uses eclectic imagery to seduce the listener. A couple major motifs the project employs are those of a tropical island and Greek mythology. This serves to capture the listener, as if Caroline is a deity trapping a lost hero on her island of pleasure. More realistic perceptions of love and desire are depicted on the tracks "Bunny is A Rider" and "Butterfly Net." Polachek even imagines a world where they can meet a lost/deceased lover on the track "I Believe," as a tribute to her friend, the late hyper-pop artist SOPHIE. 

   Sequentially, this LP starts off extremely strong, with the first four tracks being energetic pop bangers. The middle of the album, however, sees some slower and more intimate tracks that fall a little flat. A couple of underwhelming guest features also make this portion of the album feel a little too long. Despite this, the album finishes off strong with more tropical opera and the track "Billions," that ties almost every concept explored on this LP together. 

    Overall, Caroline Polachek's latest album is an undeniably enjoyable art pop album that shows off the artist's evolution, as well as the evolution of love and desire in a changing world.

Best Tracks: Welcome To My Island -- Pretty In Possible -- Sunset -- Smoke -- Billions

7.5/10

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