These Are Not Ellie's Halcyon Days

Far be it from me to spit in the face of "what the kids are listening to these days" but I have a really hard time warming up to the charms of Ellie Goulding. Her latest release "Halcyon" has this lighter than smoke machine smoke quality that I just couldn't cozy up to. "Lights", the leadoff single and top 10 Billboard hit, doesn't surround her with too much atmosphere outside of some jocular yet cloying synth effects. There's much club stomping to be had with "Halcyon". Very much in the comfort zone of one of those wee hour rave-ups where you can't find one inch of elbow room. Her soprano range vocals lend a surreal element to "Joy". That's a unique experience to behold but that also makes me a shade uncomfortable. Her delivery does something other that just burst into a wide range of chord shifting. She seems to levitate above the chorus. For some music lovers that's part of the charm. The lyrics kind of disappear into the vocal prowess. Many of the A-level singers I know of at least allow for some of the words to not literally disappear into the wall of atmosphere. "I Know You Care" is imbued with very believable fragility. To be honest, unlike previous reviews, I had a very hard time finding anything awe-inspiring to latch onto. Usually there's an instrument, an ear-inspiring trick, a burst of vim and vigor. Even when the songs have an easygoing way with them, it's sort of pushed out in a Diet Coke diluted taste way. To you the reader I'm sorry if this review comes across as if I composed it fresh off of being jolted with Novocaine. Ellie Goulding's brand of songcraft sort of numbs me off like that. She may very well be a lovable lass but I can't understand much of what the fuss is about.