It’s funny how the course of pop music runs. On Wednesday I posted a track by Sazzie, a new project from Sarah McIntosh, an artist that I first wrote an introducing post nearly 10 years ago when she was doing a another project. Fast forward to now and she still isn’t any sort of household name. This isn’t ‘failure’ just as becoming very well-known isn't necessarily ‘success’, although society generally views popularity and commercial gain in this way. However, the pressures of that so called 'success' and becoming a public figure can bring their own personal difficulties which aren’t for everyone and might lead them to questioning if it is all it’s made out to be.
Within a few days of the Sarah McIntosh post all that time ago I also ran another introducing piece on a new artist. In that blog post the picture of the artist shows her standing in a simple vest top, wearing glasses with long brown-ish hair. If books were judged by covers then she didn’t look like a typical popstar at that time; certainly the piece I wrote talked of her acoustic roots and the fact that she had started to introduce electronic elements to her music. Her name was (and still is) Ellie Goulding.
You’ve probably heard of her.
At this stage I could probably roll out a bunch of clichés about her ‘journey'; something which so many musicians and journalists talk about in interviews I roll my eyes. Please musicians stop talking about your journeys - everyone has a 'journey' - it's just what you've been doing in life.
Instead let’s just take a listen to her new tune.
Here are the key facts you need to know:
1. It’s called Flux, but it isn’t a cover of the only really good song Bloc Party put out after their first album.
2. This one is more Freya Ridings than Diplo. It’s a piano ballad, so arguably has more in common with her acoustic singer songwriter roots than her electronic pop, although of course in the UK one of her biggest hits was a cover of a ballad (Your Song).
3. In the video she wears an amazing dress. The sort of thing only popstars and celebrity types can get away with wearing without anyone calling them ridiculous.
4. The “I’m still in love with the idea of loving you, it’s a state of Flux, but it’s not enough,” line will get in your head.
5. If you go back and listen to her music from when she started her career you can hear how her voice as changed – it’s less thin sounding and slightly lower than it used to be.
6. Flux is my favourite Ellie Goulding song for some time. It’s majestic, enchanting and rather lovely.
Ellie Goulding - Flux
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