You’re Electric
Clare Maguire
(listen)
Holler!
The song that tops our POP-Adjacent Pyramid is “You’re Electric” (click here to listen) by the ever-so-talented Clare Maguire. It's from her recent debut, Light After Dark. This British beauty has a massive voice that sounds a bit like Cher’s, but with more polish. It’s the best tune off of her album; the other numbers I’ve heard from it aren't nearly as catchy. Clare worked with Fraser T. Smith, who’s produced amazing tracks on Britney’s Femme Fatale (“Trouble For Me”), Taio Cruz’s Rokstarr (“Break Your Heart” ft. Ludacris), and Adele’s 21 (“Set Fire To The Rain,” my favorite song on the album). Seeing as he’s so capable, it’s a bit upsetting that he didn’t capitalize on his potential for Light After Dark. However, this is only Clare’s first album, and with her singing ability, she'll surely have many more releases in her future. “You’re Electric” is of a genre created by Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine that I have so eloquently labeled as POP-Hodge Podge. It’s a mix of multiple styles, such as pop, soul, folk, electronica, ballad, etc. It’s epic. It’s over the top. It has grandiose production, yet still allows the singer’s vocals to shine. The difference is that this is more electronic than anything we’ve seen from Florence, which suits me just fine - the more synths and bleeps, the better. (Florence’s album was solid, but I could do without the harp showing up in each track.) When I listen to this song, I have visions of dark hues, including blacks, greens, and purples, all sparkling simultaneously, like a night sky or sequined shirt. The combination of the production with her voice, which takes off like a rocket going to outer space, makes the song quite haunting; it sounds like a glamorous Halloween, which I’d love to be invited to seeing as I don’t have any plans for October 31st. Here’s hoping you do! May they be as ELECTRIC as you are.
Unapologetically,
