I must admit, I don’t listen to contemporary pop a great deal these days. In a world full of X-Idols who’ve got talent and a nice voice, I’m happy to stick to my rock roots. And I’m not alone. I often hear comments about older music on the lines of, “Well, it’s better than the rubbish you hear these days.” And in most cases, this is true. However, when you least expect it, somebody comes along to shake the foundations and offer something a bit different.
It’s difficult to describe Billie Eilish’s style. I guess a magical blend of good tunes, music and voice, then that rare full house of meaningful lyrics which hit home not only to the teen generation, but older listeners like myself. It’s a case of, “I don’t know why I think this is fantastic, but I do.” And any artist with an endorsement from Dave Grohl is going to be worth a try.
Billie Eilish comes from an acting/musical family and along with brother, Phineas O’Connell, produced When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? The album is a follow-up to numerous singles and EP, Don’t Smile at Me. Okay, perhaps EP is a misrepresentation for that first offering has a duration greater than most Beatles albums. At 17, Billie is the youngest artist to go direct to number 1 in the UK album charts. She comes across as a free spirit, an individual, and how can you not love someone whose middle name is Pirate?
Recorded in the home bedroom, the album has everything. From the kick-ass opening of Bad Guy, we are taken on a journey which states you’re going to have as much fun listening to it as they did in the making. An incredible use of multi-track vocals is nowhere better displayed than Xanny which states Eilish has never had or will have need for drugs. The previously released single, You Should See Me in a Crown, is massive in terms of impact as is the melancholy, When the Party’s Over. And then we have Bury a Friend, surely one of the best songs of the decade. This is not to say album tracks don’t match up. All the Good Girls Go to Hell could be played on repeat all day long as is also the case with My Strange Addiction and Ilomilo.
If you check out YouTube, there is video of the full set of a recent gig in London and you can see the effect on the young audience there. But I enjoyed watching it as well. Here we have a person with something to say, and long may she continue saying it.
Cheers.
Antony N Britt - Author 