FKA Twigs Makes Album - is Good
The Union kitchens have been closed for two weeks, with no known timeline for when food service will return
4.5 stars
Tahliah Barnett, aka FKA Twigs quickly rose from ‘Video Girl’ to adored songstress in the mid 10’s, earning critical acclaim and a cult following from a series of releases including her 2014 record LP1. Here, atmospheric synthesisers and industrial drums left plenty of space for Twig’s vocals to croon, soar or caress. Whilst being an aesthetically satisfying record, one well worth a listen for any electronic or art-pop fans, Barnett’s song writing often felt hollow and repetitive to the point of redundancy, dampening the records listenability.
On Magdalene Twig’s lyricism is significantly more rewarding, adding a layer of emotional precocity to her gorgeous sonic creations. Opener ‘thousand eyes’ sets the scene, embodying the terror of celebrity as a many-eyed-beast, behind a plodding, orchestral instrumental which splinters intermittently as if Twig’s insecurity corrupts the song’s file.
The centrepiece of the record is its title track. Here, Barnett explores the expectations her lovers, and society have of her femininity, behind a powerful hook and glitched, industrial production reminiscent of the LP’s Cover.
On thematic twin ‘holy terrain’, Future (of all people) steps into the fray to illustrate the fractious nature of modern masculinity. A feature which is thematically if not sonically satisfying.
Much of Magdalene finds FKA Twig’s eye turned upon the many facets of a particularly complex relationship. The beauty “Taste the fruit of me/Make love to all you see” on ‘sad day’, the mistrust on ‘fallen alien’; “Don’t tell me what you want ‘cause I know you lie” and the tragedy of no longer having a partner to “chase the pain away” with on ‘mirrored heart’. Barnett is an artist of few words, but here the precision of her writing cuts through icy instrumentals to distil truth more poetic than factual.
Perhaps her best writing can be found on Magdalene’s penultimate tracks. On closer ‘Cellophane’, a wonky piano progression becomes the scaffold for vocal acrobatics, Twigs delivering lines like “Didn’t I do it for you?/When all I do is for you”, which splay rejection’s bitter jaws wide. Before this ‘daybed’ oozes by over clouds of synth, Twigs works to capture the ugly character the everyday takes on during a depressive episode “Dirty are my dishes/Many are my wishes” and “Lower is my ceiling/Pressing are my feelings” distil this uniquely 21st century malaise perfectly. ‘daybed’ is also notable for production by Oneohtrix Point Never, erring from near silence, muffled percussion and shots of white noise to oppressive organs and orchestral flourishes, each moment feels tailored to the ebb and flow of Barnett’s delivery.
The rest of Magdalene’s track list features an equally impressive roster of producers: Skrillex, Cashmere Cat, Kenny Beats, and Berlin-based wunderkind Nicholas Jarr have all played their hands on tracks. The result is a collection of fascinating instrumentals, with well written chord progressions and a plethora of detail rewarding repeated listens.
I didn’t get tickets to see Twigs live so i’m sad, if you have a spare, or want to deliver some killer journalism, drop a line to fmusic@ic.ac.uk.
