Badlands (10th Anniversary)＜限定盤/Colored Vinyl＞

Halseyのデビューアルバム『Badlands』の10周年記念盤、カラー盤で登場!

Halseyのデビューアルバム『Badlands』の10周年記念カラー盤。
『Badlands』は2015年8月28日にAstralwerksからリリースされ、アメリカ合衆国のBillboard 200アルバムチャートで初登場2位を記録。
後にRIAAからダブルプラチナ認定を受けました。アルバムには「Ghost」「New Americana」「Colors」「Castle」のシングル曲が収録されています。

An internet phenomenon, New Jerseys Ashley Frangipane, aka Halsey, parlayed their over 16,000 YouTube subscribers into a record deal with Astralwerks at age 18, a deal based primarily around their moody, synth-heavy single Ghost. Two years later, Badlands finds the 20-year-old budding pop sensation delivering a set of songs that sound a lot like that fateful first single. Which isnt a bad thing. The sound that defined their D.I.Y. music is still apparent, though they did collaborate here with a handful of like-minded producers including Lido, the Futuristics, and Son Lux, who helped flesh out their highly personal songs into even more dramatic, sonically dense recordings. On the surface, Badlands is all chilly atmosphere, thanks to a bevy of thick bass tones, pulsing synthesizers, and rattlesnake percussion loops. Its a goth throwback that brings to mind Danny Lohners work with Nine Inch Nails. However, underneath that icy landscape, Halsey burns with a feminist confidence, spitting out lyrics with their soulful voice that sounds like Bjork with vocal fry. On Castle, they sing Im headed straight for the castle/Theyve got the kingdom locked up/And theres an old man sitting on a throne theyre saying, I should probably keep my pretty mouth shut. Of course, its clear from the start of Badlands that keeping their mouth shut is the last thing Halsey plans to do. As they proclaim on the taut, slow-tempo jam Hold Me Down, My demons are begging me to open up my mouth. Thankfully, Halsey consistently brings a strong sense of self to their content at every turn, musing with blithe emotion about their sexuality and creative independence. They also have a knack for singling out little generational touchstones that lend their songs an anthemic quality. On New Americana, their vocals double-tracked like the childrens chorus on Pink Floyds Another Brick in the Wall, they sing, We are the new Americana/High on legal marijuana/Raised on Biggie and Nirvana. Interestingly, while their noir-ish, older-than-their-years image has drawn comparisons to contemporaries like Lana Del Rey and Lorde (and yes, there are similarities) musically, they have more in common with male-fronted acts like New Yorks X Ambassadors, merging dark, electronic indie with the rhythmic bump and lyrical flow of R&B. Theres also something angry, literate, and youthfully defiant about Badlands that brings to mind the sneer of Garbages Shirley Manson. Ultimately, its all of Halseys seemingly contradictory elements brought together that lend Badlands such a fascinating topography. ~ Matt Collar

リドなど総勢10組ものヒットメイカーが助力し、すでに全米2位を記録済みのファースト・フル・アルバム! 冒頭曲はロードやバンクス以降の電子ポップで幕を開けるが、再生開始1分で聖歌隊のコーラスが飛び込んできて、その壮大な展開に度肝を抜かれた。また、ノトーリアスBIGの"Juicy"を歌い込んだナンバーでは、〈ビギーとニルヴァーナを蘇らせる〉と大胆に宣言。かと思えば、"Colors"や"Ghost"などでエリー・ゴールディングにも迫るキャッチーな歌心を垣間見せる。きっと彼女はマイリー・サイラスみたいに、アウトローたちの良き理解者として世界中から愛されるに違いない……なんてことを、映画「ブレードランナー」のようなディストピアを描いてみせた本作を聴いて感じた次第だ。
bounce (C)上野功平