Album Review: Ellie Goulding - Delirium
By Van Williams, Contributor
[Polydor; 2015]
Rating: 3/5
Key Tracks: “Keep On Dancin’,” “On My Mind,” “Lost & Found”
Ellie Goulding first broke into the mainstream with her debut album Lights in early 2010, though she released material to relatively low success rates in 2009. Now in 2015 she is back with her third record Delirium and is proving her ability to grow as an artist.
In a world of radio pop music full of singles, cluttered iPods and stream links, it is clear this record is meant to be listened to as a full piece. This is made obvious by how cohesive it feels as well as the fact the album is lead by an intro, “Intro (Delirium).” This isn’t something done very often anymore, especially on a pop record, and is a bold and respectable choice. Immediately accessible, the record is drenched in a feeling of gloss, a very bright and shiny aura that makes the whole album feel very seasonally fitting, especially going into the wintry shopping season.
Delirium starts off hitting hard with the back-to-back punch packed by “Keep On Dancin’” and “On My Mind.” Though somewhat repetitive, these tracks never seem to be over simplified because their catchy nature makes them stick in your head for so long. Lyrically the record is not lacking, especially for a pop album that will see a lot of airplay.
As many records do, toward the middle of the album it is easy to see a drop off where things seem to be a little more rushed, streamlined and repetitive. It is a longer album, clocking in at just under an hour, making it a little easier to understand how something like this could have happened. Luckily, toward Delirium’s end things pick up again with the instantly catchy track “Lost & Found.” This is a well done record and is definitely worth checking out, despite some of the flaws that might make some think this is just another pop album.
