Review: FKA Twigs - LP1
[Young Turks; 2014]
Rating: 7/10
By Sarah Weingarten, Contributor
Key Tracks: “Two Weeks,” “Pendulum,” “Video Girl”
LP1 is an experience. FKA Twigs has created an album that gives high hopes and great expectations for the rest of her career. LP1 seamlessly infuses electronica and punchy vocals into one smooth futuristic experience.
Believe it or not, FKA Twigs isn’t her real name, nor is she a gorgeous space babe, no matter how extraterrestrial her sound and hair may be. Tahliah Barnett, a dancer turned musician, got her nickname “Twigs” because she could crack her bones incredibly loudly. Perhaps she could record the sound and mix it into a track on her next album.
With impressive finesse, FKA Twigs manipulates her voice and uses it as the focal element on LP1. Her voice and lyrics never fight the music. The album is carried by almost seamless fluidity between all of its musical components.
“Two Weeks” is the must-listen-to track on LP1. It's dreamy and sensual, a vibe created by significant vocal layering. The song is about sex and being “higher than a motherfucker.” Most songs covering this topic are raunchy and the opposite of ethereal, but massive applause to FKA Twigs for doing what a majority of songs on the radio can’t accomplish.
The bridge in “Two Weeks” is what makes it the showstopper on LP1. It’s sexy without being in your face. “Feel your body closin’ / I can rip it open / Suck me up / I’m healin’ for the shit you’re dealin’ / Smoke on your skin to get those pretty eyes rollin’ / My thighs are apart for when you’re ready to breathe in.”
“Pendulum” is another absolute jam. Twigs showcases her falsetto and the snare drum in the back gives the song an exotic vibe. Her soothing falsetto croons out, “So lonely trying to be yours / What a forsaken cause / So lonely trying to be yours / When you’re looking for so much more.”
LP1 is an album that shows FKA Twigs’ massive potential as a singer/songwriter and an artist. However, it’s not a total home run. Debuts always have room for improvement. Deeming an artist’s first album “flawless” is jumping the gun, like telling a kid they’re a gifted student in elementary school butstart to flunk out when they hit high school.
Saying that FKA Twig's debut is a great album doesn’t mean it’s a perfect album. The track “Closer” isn't a favorite, too many fighting musical elements sacrifices the song's possible smoothness and ease. The occasionally less-than-perfect production is another weak point on the album, but a common stumble on the learning curve for a first effort.
FKA Twigs needs to keep developing her sound and her vocals to really make a stunning and iconic album. She definitely possesses the talent to do so; now it's just a matter of time.
