Lorde Keeps The Beat And Then Some

Lorde must think she's not long for this world. Whether or not she's destined to join the 27-year old club currently made legendary by Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, and Janis Joplin remains a closely guarded mystery. But, if you examine her already enviable catalog of hits you can't help but sense she's literally attempting to make hay while the sun shines. Add to the list "Yellow Flicker Beat", a track from the soundtrack to the upcoming link on The Hunger Games franchise chain. Eerie with a capital "E". The paucity of backup instruments encourages our white knuckles to grow corpulent. What background there is sounds launched from a centuries ago point in history. Then the chorus kickstarts what we'd like to think of as unabashed forward momentum. Ever since Lorde bounded into the picture with "Royals" it's safe to say confidence isn't something she ever lacked. The brass behind the Hunger Games soundtrack had to know they had landed a top get once she was on board. Lorde's undeniable intensity oozes into your spine and then makes its unstoppable way through the other corridors of your body. Just when you think you know what kind of ride you're in for BANG!! The drum kit and friends closely joined at the hip to it enter the frame. This ensemble of tightly meshed steel wheels doesn't sound disconnected from many other youths in peril/seeking adventure flicks from times gone by but with Lorde at the fragile epicenter we're easily ready to hear her out. She paints an effective protagonist picture early on. In so doing she adheres to the rule also followed by top quality opening credits. Moviemakers want to lure you in as quickly as possible so any thought you had of making a hasty retreat for the exits is extinguished early. Soundtracks have been big business for box office since the George Lucas 1970s Star Wars dynasty pulled away from the gate and soon after went flying. The 1980s memory lane is crawling with soundtrack gold that easily captured ethos, pathos, and unbridled ambition. The marriage of top studio artists with high gloss production is about as familiar these days as the peanut butter chocolate mash up of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Lorde defines the down and dirty survivalist. You want that stripe of ambassador representing your movie. Lorde, if you'll pardon the cringe worthy pun, holds court like nobody's business. From the first words any surrounding conversation grinds to a halt. Not many of today's pop divas could proclaim, "I'm a princess cut from marble. Smoother than a storm" without coming off like self-indulgent douches. Not only that, to put Lorde, the young woman responsible for "Royals" in a position to mention how princess in stature she is...that's quietly chortle demanding genius. You know how 3-D movies are designed to hurtle the action in your face? "Yellow Flicker Beat" operates under that exact guiding philosophy. Quiet in the first fragment but unafraid to slowly take your reserve breath away once the chorus rounds into form. Here's what gives that chorus 3-D jaw dropping status. The trick lies in the pacing of chorus changes. First wave rises, you think you have space to cool down but no...second chords eyeball you straight on as if to say "Not so fast. I'm not finished with you." Third chords from the Lorde a la Hunger Games snack platter put your visible unease on the stove top and allow it to writhe about agonizingly. By the time the caboose parts of this train pop into view you've either been blown away with brilliance or passed out from sheer aesthetic exhaustion. Post chorus the drum kit asserts itself on a regular basis. You can only reflect with star-crossed gaze into the distance on how many butts are going to be crammed into the theater seats based on excitement that Lorde is part of the soundtrack shenanigans. The Hunger Games continues to occupy real estate on the current pop culture throne. Nevertheless given the glut of entertainment options in today's digital age nobody can afford to get cavalier about how they ensure their movie turns a profit. Lorde's "Yellow Flicker Beat" burns white hot despite the burn getting thrust into a meticulously slow framework. Her contribution can only help in allowing The Hunger Games latest storyline to generously receive royal treatment from movie patrons.