FKA Twigs is currently being hailed as the new princess of R&B. And rightly so. From Jessie J backing dancer to releasing one of the most startling and entrancing debuts of the year, she’s come a long way.
It’s impossible to talk about FKA Twigs (real name Tahlia
Barnett) without discussing her visual artistry. From the covers of her previous EPs to her
sometimes shocking videos, she evolves from a china doll to an alien-beauty
with oversized eyes, a golden goddess suggestively pouring water out of a
finger, and a shadowed figure being strangled by a lover. Not since Bjork have we seen such a complete
artist, every aspect of her music career meticulously planned and inventive.
None more so than the actual music. Most commonly described as R&B (and
compared to the icy cool of Aaliyah), her music stretches the genre to its barebones
limits. Despite a plethora of well-known
producers, such as Dev Hynes, Paul Epworth and Sampha, LP1 is utterly cohesive. The
production is sparse, spectral and stark; the sounds of processed beats,
pulsing synth bass lines and shattering electronica on, for example, singles Pendulum or Two Weeks sounding familiar yet utterly alien, each texture shattering
in a vacuum.
Above all, though, LP1
is deeply sexual, with lyrics consumed with carnal desires. “When I trust you we can do it with the
lights on” she purrs on Lights On, before
hurtling into the throbbing Two Weeks
and her ecstatic vocal sighs of “mouth open, you’re high”. Hours centres
on the lyric “I could kiss you for hours” above production that fractures,
breaks and implodes. For its four and a half minute length, time quite literally stops and hovers in an oblivion of ecstasy,
perfectly capturing that feeling of being utterly consumed by a partner. Later, on Numbers,
she becomes more accusatory: “was I just a number to you?” she questions above
trip-hop rhythms and echoing percussion.
The result is an intoxicating album that’s frighteningly yet alluringly
sensual, appealing to the most primal of instincts.
The success of the album is also down to Barnett’s breathy
vocals, at once vulnerable, fragile, innocent, haunting and melancholic. Her sighs may sound girlish (perhaps
disturbingly so given the lyrical content), but there’s a real depth of emotion
and maturity – a human in an otherworldly soundscape.
LP1 is an album
that’s far from courting the mainstream.
It’s low on hooks and variation, whilst a couple of standout tracks from
her EPs are curiously missing (namely Water
Me and Papi Pacify). But does that even matter? This is the product of an artist with a
singular vision, who stands far away from, and above, the crowd. I could listen for hours.
5/5
Gizzle’s Choice:
* Two Weeks
* Hours
* Pendulum
Listen: LP1 is available now.
