Three years ago, the world was drawn to Australian-Czech singer Lenka and her self-titled album. Lenka’s initial appeal was a distinct retro, European style of music, and her global recognition was exponentially aided by the hyper-frequent use of her songs in advertisements. Her big hit “The Show” – seen in an Old Navy TV ad, an episode of “90210,” an “Ugly Betty” promo and an “Easy A” trailer – is highly representative of the entirety of this first body of work, which featured a majority of naive, art-style, buoyant songs.
For Two, which comes out today, Lenka plays it safe by keeping to this same crafty sound for a few tracks – even “Sad Song” is surprisingly upbeat – but unfortunately fell flat for the few in which she took a risk. For example, in “Blinded by Love,” a person could easily imagine a “Grease”-era Olivia Newton John singing this to Danny Zuko, not in a good way. If a listener had to base his or her impression of the artist solely on this song, the result would be one less Lenka fan. That’s a dangerous move for a singer who has yet to entirely break out from the commercial music scene.
For “You Will Be Mine” and “Shock Me Into Love,” layered sounds and dancey, ambient pop beats do not conceal the overly simplistic nature of the music. They almost seem as if they were written for an immature audience. The intended audience for “Shock Me Into Love” definitely peaks at high school age, especially with her reminiscent chorus of “No, I never knew that I could feel this way/ No, I never had it running through my veins/ No, I never thought that it could be enough/ Suddenly you, you shock me into love.”
It’s funny, Lenka looks physically like an Adele or even A Fine Frenzy, but the songs she wrote for Two are a more sugary brand of pop than one remembers from “Trouble is a Friend” and can sound over-produced. This is heard especially in “Heart Skips a Beat.” Where is the subdued, vintage style that has always made Lenka unique? Her individualism is often hard to locate on the album.
However, Two is still a valuable asset to a music collection. A Lenka fan just has to know which tracks to skip over, or neglect to purchase digitally, to get to hear the girl they know and love. The titular track blends Lenka’s voice with guitar and piano well, and has a tasteful bouncy rhythm.
Favorites are sure to include “Here to Stay,” and “Roll With the Punches.” The latter sounds more of “The Show”‘s caliber – a song that listeners will want to play to cheer up a friend (which they can do by sending the video electronically on her website). It’s catchy but not boring or repetitive.
“Everything’s Okay” is another one to keep in mind for a rainy day. This track has the sounds and beat typical of a musical, but without Vaudeville eccentricities. It is especially good if you can find a slower version she performs live, which is far more real.
Two is an album someone with a taste for talented female artists could listen to quite often, without feeling tiresome. Yet, listeners will find themselves wishing she took more risks with recording her sophomore effort. Lenka would be better off in the future continuing to channel artists like Lykke Li or Feist – she captured Feist’s “1234” vibe in the carnival-esque “Everything At Once” video – rather than over-produced styles more reminiscent of Ke$ha.
3 out of 5 stars.
