Gig Review: Lorde at TivoliVredenburg

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Confident Lorde entertains young fans in new venue in Utrecht
It’s hardly a year ago that almost nobody knew who Lorde was. After she released the single ‘Royals’ however, there was no stopping her. The song took off massively and became a wordwide smash hit. There was no escaping this track on the radio and the 17-year-old then had to prove that she is not a one-hit-wonder. If her debut record Pure Heroine, did not emphasize this enough, then her first live show in the Netherlands in the brand new venue TivoliVredenburg might have done it. She shows herself to be a major pop force that undoubtedly has a very bright future.

The support act of the night is Nick Mulvey, who plays a pleasant set on his acoustic guitar. He has a charming personality that especially the young girls in the front rows seem to warm to. At 21:00, Lorde walks on stage as her band plays the first notes of the song ‘Glory and Gore’. She immediately shows her eye-catching and unconventional dance moves to the strong beats of the track. After the first track, the curtain falls down and the drummer and keyboard player that will accompany her for the rest of the night, are visible. Because of the small band, quite a lot of the backing vocals and some of the instrumentation is not played live which could be seen as a missed opportunity, but on the other hand it also quite fits her electronic pop music.

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It becomes apparent on some tracks that she really needs the pre-recorded backings to give the song as much strength as the studio versions, for example during her rendition of ‘Tennis Court’, probably her best song yet. On her cover of ‘Swingin Party’ (originally by the Replacements) she impresses however, without using any backingtrack. Here she shows her distinctive, quite low, vocals are strong enough to carry tunes without any help. It is impressive to see how she managed to gain so many loyal fans in such a short period of time, as a large part of the audience does not only sing along to the hit singles, but also reacts very enthusiastically when she plays the better tracks on the album, like ‘White Teeth Teens’, ‘Ribs’, ‘Buzzcut Season’ and ‘Bravado’, that was taken from her debut EP.

It is surprising to see how much confidence Lorde shows when she is performing. When she does her impulsive little dance moves to the banging beats of her tracks, one would expect that she is doing this for years already. To think about the fact that she is only 17 years old, is actually quite bizar. The only moment where her young age showed, is when she did a quite lengthy monologue about throwing parties, being afraid to grow up and living her dreams before she sings ‘Ribs’. When the show almost comes to an end, Lorde takes her place in the spotlight to sing her ‘Royals’ together with the 2000 people that gathered in the new TivoliVredenburg, a venue that looks great with a nice atmosphere and great sound. The real climax of the show however, is her single ‘Team’, that gets an extended version in which Lorde has her big pop star moment when she comes back on stage in a golden dress while confetti flies all over the place.

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Although Lorde gets some help from the backing track, she is a surprisingly strong and confident performer live and the quality of her songs, that she all co-wrote herself, is extraordinary for a girl of only seventeen years old. If she will get the space and opportunity to grow artistically, she could become one of the best and most willful pop stars of the near future.

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Concert Recensie: Lorde in TivoliVredenburg

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Zelfverzekerde Lorde overtuigt jonge fans met show in nieuwe TivoliVredenburg

Hoewel een jaar geleden nog bijna niemand van Lorde had gehoord, is ze na het uitbrengen van de single ‘Royals’ al bijna niet meer uit het huidige pop-landschap weg te denken. De single werd een wereldwijde megahit en het was dan ook moeilijk om de 17-jarige Nieuw-Zeelandse niet op de radio voorbij te horen komen. Daarna werd het tijd voor Lorde om te bewijzen dat ze geen eendagsvlieg is, en als ze dat al niet met haar uitstekende debuut Pure Heroine had gedaan, dan lukt dat haar nu alsnog met haar eerste show op Nederlandse bodem in het gloednieuwe TivoliVredenburg.

Nick Mulvey verzorgt het voorprogramma met een prima set op akoestisch gitaar. Zijn charmante persoonlijkheid weet vooral de jonge dames op de eerste rijen alvast op te warmen. Klokslag negen uur is het tijd voor Lorde om het podium te betreden. Het eerste lied, ‘Glory and Gore’ zingt ze alleen op het podium terwijl na het lied het gordijn naar beneden wordt gehaald waardoor haar band, bestaande uit een toetsenist en een drummer, ook zichtbaar worden. Omdat de band zo klein is, valt het op dat er nogal wat achtergrondzang en wat instrumentatie niet live is, en hoewel dit aan de ene kant gezien kan worden als een gemiste kans, past het ook wel weer bij het elektronische karakter van Lorde’s popmuziek.

Het valt wel op dat Lorde hier en daar de backingtrack hard nodig heeft om de liedjes live net zoveel kracht mee te geven als ze op plaat hebben. Bij ‘Tennis Court’, misschien wel haar beste song tot nu toe, zingt ze dan ook een groot deel met de band mee. Op een verstilde cover van ‘Swingin Party’ (origineel van The Replacements) komt haar stem echter wel zeer mooi tot zijn recht. Hier laat ze horen dat haar lage, eigenzinnige stemgeluid wel degelijk sterk genoeg is om de liedjes in een live setting overtuigend over te brengen. Daarnaast is het indrukwekkend om te zien hoe snel de jonge zangeres een vaste fanbase heeft weten op te bouwen. Een groot deel van het publiek zingt namelijk niet alleen de hits mee, maar kennen ook de teksten van sterke albumtracks als ‘White Teeth Teens’, ‘Ribs’, ‘Buzzcut Season’ en ‘Bravado’, afkomstig van de eerste EP. Al deze songs worden even enthousiast ontvangen door het veelal jonge publiek.

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Het is verrassend om te zien met hoeveel zelfvertrouwen Lorde op het podium staat. Als ze haar impulsieve, schokkerige dansmoves laat zien lijkt het haast alsof ze nooit anders heeft gedaan. Je zou bijna vergeten dat de Nieuw-Zeelandse echt pas zeventien lentes jong is. Het enige moment waarop duidelijk wordt dat we nog met een tiener te maken hebben, is wanneer ze een vrij lange monoloog houdt over het geven feestjes, bang zijn om volwassen te worden en het najagen van je dromen voordat ze ‘Ribs’ inzet. Tegen het einde zingt ze dan eindelijk de grote hit ‘Royals’, die door 2000 man uit volle borst wordt meegezongen in een overigens mooie, sfeervolle zaal in TivoliVredenburg, waar het geluid ook zeker meer dan in orde is. De echte climax van de show volgt met een verlengde versie van single ‘Team’, waarop het blauwe pak wordt vervangen voor een gouden jurk met cape waarin ze een echt popstermoment beleeft, inclusief confetti.

Hoewel Lorde hier en daar dus nog wat hulp krijgt van achtergrondzang op de band, laat ze zien dat ze voor haar leeftijd een sterke performer is. De kwaliteit van de songs, waar ze allemaal zelf aan meeschreef, is ongekend hoog. Als dit meisje de ruimte en gelegenheid krijgt om artistiek verder te groeien, kunnen we wel eens te maken hebben met één de meest eigenwijze en succesvolle popsterren van de komende jaren.

The best pop albums of 2013

Because it is almost the end of the year, I will present you some lists of the best things that happened in pop music in 2013. Today, it is time for the list of the 20 best pop albums released in 2013. Let’s have a look!

20. Bastille – Bad Blood
Bastille Bad Blood
Bastille is one of the most exciting new acts that broke through this year. Bad Blood is a great record with a distinctive sound, mostly because of the singer Dan’s warm vocal style. ‘Pompeii’, ‘Things We Lost In The Fire’ and ‘Laura Palmer’ are all brilliant songs with a great production and instrumentation. Impressive debut!

19. Sara Bareilles – The Blessed Unrest
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A deserved Grammy nomination for this one. Sara Bareilles released an impressive album with amazing songs like ‘Brave’, ‘Hercules’, ‘Cassiopeia’ and the gorgeous ballad ‘Islands’. Sara always released good albums, but it feels like this time, everything is even a little better and this style fits her completely.

18. Marco Mengoni – #ProntoACorrere
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Marco Mengoni represented Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest with the wonderful ballad ‘L’Essenziale’. On his album, he shows he also sounds great on up tempo pop songs like ‘Non Me Ne Accorgo’ and the title track. His voice is amazing and the hooks on the tracks are extremely catchy. No wonder this was one of the most successful albums of the year in Italy.

17. Emmelie De Forest – Only Teardrops
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The Danish Emmelie De Forest won this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, but ‘Only Teardrops’ was not the only good song she put out this year. Her debut album was full of good pop tracks in the same style as her Eurovision song. She shows she is more than a one hit wonder with this album and I hope we will get to enjoy more of her music in the next few years.

16. Ellie Goulding – Halcyon Days
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Ellie Goulding came up with a re-release of her brilliant album Halcyon, now called Halcyon Days. She had huge hits with ‘Burn’ and ‘How Long Will I Love You?’ and the other tracks on this new version are great too. It is not the best collection she released so far (how could she ever top Halcyon?), but still she once again managed to put out wonderful songs like ‘Hearts Without Chains’ and ‘You, My Everything’.

15. Janelle Monáe – The Electric Lady
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Janelle Monáe’s eclectic mix of R&B, soul, pop, funk, hip-hop and more, delivered us some amazing songs on her debut record The ArchAndroid. Her second effort does not disappoint with some of the best songs in her career so far, like the beautiful duet ‘PrimeTime’ with Miguel. The album has great variation but still feels like an extremely cohesive work of art. Janelle Monáe never disappoints.

14. Natalia Kills – Trouble
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Natalia Kills came back with a surprisingly strong second album. Where her first record was quite hit and miss, Trouble is a more cohesive body of work with a higher quality of songs throughout the album. From the emotional ‘Saturday Night’ to the bonkers ‘Rabbit Hole’, Natalia Kills impressed with a great collection of strong pop songs.

13. AlunaGeorge – Body Music
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AlunaGeorge was one of the most promising new acts this year and they absolutely delivered with their album. Their electronic style with Aluna’s distinctive vocals are immediately recognizable. Their singles ‘Your Drums, Your Love’ and ‘Attracting Flies’ are the best songs on the album, but almost every track has a memorable chorus and a great production.

12. Anouk – Sad Singalong Songs
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Dutch singer Anouk left rock music behind for a bit and made an orchestral album full of beautiful ballads. She represented the Netherlands at Eurovision with the gorgeous ‘Birds’ and songs like ‘Kill’, ‘Stardust’ and ‘The Good Life’ all have that same cinematic and captivating quality. The lyrics are heartfelt and personal and Anouk’s voice sounds better than ever.

11. Icona Pop – This Is…
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These Swedish girls had an enormous hit with the amazing single ‘I Love It’, but they showed they have more to give with their album. Their music is a bouncing mix of pop, electro and dance and literally every track has a huge chorus with a great hook. Absolutely one of the best and catchiest releases of the year.

10. Diana Vickers – Music To Make Boys Cry
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Diana Vickers took some years to record her second album, but it was definitely worth the wait. She changed her style a bit and focuses more on electro pop these days. Music To Make Boys Cry is a cute little record with a handful strong pop songs with great hooks and memorable choruses. The title track, ‘Cinderella’, ‘Boy In Paris’ and ‘Dead Heat’ should have all been hit singles.

09. Lady Gaga – ARTPOP
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Lady Gaga will always have to deal with huge expectations when it comes to the release of her albums and there will always be people who are disappointed with her new output. For me however, ARTPOP is a decent pop record with some great tracks on it. It is not her best work so far (The Fame Monster says hello), but still ‘Applause’, ‘Sexxx Dreams’, ‘Do What U Want’ and ‘Venus’ show she still knows how to write huge choruses.

08. Beyoncé – BEYONCÉ

Beyoncé BEYONCÉ album cover
I waited until the last day of the year to complete this list, as I could not predict if any artist would ‘pull a Beyoncé’ and release a record out of the blue. She surprised the world with this interesting, cohesive and captivating album. Almost every track on there sounds fresh and it seems Beyoncé found the style that fits her best. ‘Haunted’, ‘XO’, ‘Mine’ and ‘Jealous’ are all brilliant tracks and with every listen another song stands out. Great work Bee, we now understand why it took you so long!

07. Lorde – Pure Heroine
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The success of the young singer Lorde from New-Zealand might be one of the biggest surprises of the year. It is still hard to imagine how a then sixteen-year-old was capable of creating such a cohesive, well-written album full of huge tunes. Not only singles ‘Royals’ and ‘Tennis Court’ are great songs, but she shows her talents on beautiful and catchy songs like ‘White Teeth Teens’ and ‘Buzzcut Season’ as well. If she is this good at the age of 16, what will happen when she is a grown woman?

06. Birdy – Fire Within
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If any artist this year showed how she grew and matured musically, it is Birdy. After releasing an album full of covers as her debut, she did co-write her whole second album with a surprisingly strong record as a result. Beautiful ballads like ‘Words As Weapons’, ‘Strange Birds’ and ‘No Angel’ are still an important part of her music, but she also tries new, more up tempo sounds on ‘Light Me Up’, ‘Wings’ and ‘Standing In The Way Of The Light’, which fits her wonderful vocals perfectly. Definitely one of the most impressive albums of the year.

05. Charli XCX – True Romance
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Charli XCX, known for her feature and co-writing on Icona Pop’s ‘I Love It’, released a brilliant debut album herself this year. True Romance is an album full of slick, stylish and pumping electro pop. Her lyrics are sharp, the beats are fat and her vocal style is immediately recognizable. Tracks like ‘You (Ha Ha Ha), ‘You’re The One’ and ‘Nuclear Seasons’ all have huge choruses with killer hooks. This young woman knows how to write some perfect pop tracks, ladies and gentlemen!

04. Gabrielle Aplin – English Rain
Gabrielle Aplin English Rain
Gabrielle Aplin has been working very hard for quite a few years, but in 2013 she finally dropped her first record ‘English Rain’. Her voice sounds angelic, her lyrics are strong and often relatable and the melodies are beautiful. The album deals with a broad range of emotions and Gabrielle is convincing as the teller of the stories. She is angry on ‘Keep On Walking’, thankful on ‘Salvation’, done with a relationship on ‘Panic Cord’ and cautious on ‘Please Don’t Say You Love Me’. This album has a great variety of strong songs and that voice is just lovely.

03. Miley Cyrus – Bangerz

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The most talked about pop star of the year did not only twerk, she made a pretty great album as well. Singles ‘We Can’t Stop’ and ‘Wrecking Ball’ are both brilliant, but Miley proved to be capable of even more. There are a few missteps on this record (‘SMS (Bangerz)’ and ‘Love Money Party’), but the heights, such as the singles, ‘Drive’, ‘FU’,‘4×4’ and ‘Someone Else’ are all so good that it makes you forget not every song is perfect. Miley Cyrus proved herself to be an interesting pop star with some great tracks!

02. Haim – Days Are Gone
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Band of sisters Haim started the year with huge expectations after they won the Sound of 2013 poll. They did not disappoint with their debut record ‘Days Are Gone’ with a great recognizable sound and eleven strong tracks. The first single ‘Forever’ is still the standout track, but songs like ‘Falling’, ‘Days Are Gone’ and ‘Let Me Go’ all show their song writing talents. The sisters created an own sound and delivered a cohesive album that never bores.

01. Laura Jansen – Elba
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The best album of 2013 came from an unexpected place for me, but Dutch singer-songwriter Laura Jansen delivered a truly impressive album. First single ‘Queen Of Elba’ is one of my favourite songs of the year and basically all tracks on the album are great. The lyrics are all well written, touching and tell very personal stories and the melodies are utterly gorgeous. From the uplifting ‘Golden’ to the emotional ballad ‘A Call To Arms’ and the more electronic ‘Lighthouse’ and from the great mash-up ‘Smalltown (Come Home)’ to the heartbreaking and personal ‘Pretty Me’, literally everything about this album is right. She crowned herself the queen of Elba, I crown her the album queen of the year!

Album Review: Lorde – Pure Heroine

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16-year-old sensation from New-Zealand takes world by storm
Sometimes a musical sensation comes completely out of nowhere. This happened with the 16-years-old Ella Yelich O’Connor, better known as Lorde. Pretty much out of the blue, her first single ‘Royals’ became a huge hit in the United States, but her rise to fame went fast in Europe as well. Lorde has to prove now that she is not just a one-hit-wonder, but has more songs to back up the hype. This week she released her debut album Pure Heroine.

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