Friday 28 August 2015

Review of 'M3LL155X' by FKA Twigs


Accompanied by an artsy music video in which Twigs gives birth to rainbow ribbons in the back of a van amongst other surreal scenes straight out of Salvador Dali’s nightmares, this latest 16-minute EP sees the London-born experimental singer continuing to alienate pop fans in pursuit of her own weird and wonderful style. 

Her 2014 album, LP1, witnessed her rasping cryptic sexual lyrics over abstract and minimal beats. This latest EP sees her ultimately getting darker, becoming less cute and more creepy, less sexual and arguably more feminist. ‘Doll’ is a statement on the way in which women’s bodies are treated, whilst ‘Glass and Patron’ is seemingly all about how women’s bodies are viewed, a twisted version of Madonna’s 'Vogue' featuring the hook: ‘hold that pose for me’. Twigs voice meanwhile feels more manipulated – pitch-shifted at points and sped up and slowed down to create a more disorientating listen. 

Adding to the unsettled atmosphere are the instrumentals that are even more complex than before. There are no steady beats, no simple structured songs like ‘Two Weeks’ on her last album. Mazes of digital percussion and glitchy electronic sounds make up the beats instead. Catchiness suffers as a result, but the complexity does give way to eerie suspense, each track shuffling along into the gloom uncertainly.

Ultimately its this unpredictability and unique flair that makes M3LL155A constantly engaging. I can’t wait to hear Twigs evolve even further with time (she’ll have to rename herself FKA branches).

HEAR THE WHOLE EP HERE: