Rank: 4/5
Ellie Goulding’s sweet, slow vocals echo, forming no words for the two minute duration of “Intro (Delirium)” the opening track to the songstress’ new album.
It sounds chilling, yet sultry. Lyrics aren’t needed — the impressive range of Goulding’s voice is enough to invite listeners into the next track “Aftertaste.”
This song has equal parts seduction, repetition and pop, making it the perfect contender for Billboard charts. “Aftertaste” and the next song “Something In The Way You Move” are reminiscent of pre-breakdown Britney Spears.
But Goulding proves she’s more than the usual popstar. “Keep On Dancin’” treads into the electro-pop territory that MØ and Purity Ring also conquered this year. Goulding is no stranger to this style of pop, though. It’s a similar sound to her previous hit “Tessellate.”
While comparisons are being made, it’s difficult to ignore how similar “Around U” sounds to Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off.” The clappy, upbeat sound paired with repetitive shouts provides listeners another song they just can’t shake off.
Goulding shows off her breadth of pop, with one end of the spectrum being bubblegum pop and the other end having heavy electronic influence. She also works her way into the indie-pop category with “Army,” her bellowing voice paired with piano strokes and acoustic guitar strums.
A disappointment from the album, however, is that she could have capitalized on what every DJ is going to do with her music for the next six months — remix it. Had she collaborated with popular producers of the moment, like Calvin Harris or Disclosure, she could have landed a spot like MØ, DJ Snake and Major Lazer did with “Lean On” this summer.
DJs are always going to turn to pop to find samples, which is beneficial in that another fan base is exposed to something new. The blending of electronic and pop throughout her album proves the expansion of her sound, but why not beat the industry to the punch and work collaboratively with someone who is an expert in the electronic genre?
Listeners more frequently hear her old hit “Lights” remixed by Bassnectar or another producer than they do the original version. A collaboration would be an asset her album in the long run.
While remixes were seen as the key the singer’s success, Goulding shows she can hold her own. She’s a one-woman show — her feminine power emanates through each song. She reiterates this in the title of the track “Don’t Need Nobody.”
It’s a secondary empowering effect to hear Goulding show off the span of her vocals and the spectrum of her pop sound. “Delirium” should satisfy all pop, and even some electronic, fans.