Kimbra — Primal Heart ANALYSIS & REVIEW
Published 04/28/2018
Combining this amount of strong melodic energy with the exceptionally tasteful and eloquent use of synthesizer layers makes this a complete must-listen for 2018 albums. It doesn’t start off terribly convincing, with the first three songs having only one compelling dimension, being the soothing synthetic sonic atmosphere. The second song “Top of the World” rose above the single dimension feel a bit with better focus on melodic shape and organization in the repeated chorus motive. From my listening experience, I anticipated that this would’ve been the best track on album, seeing as it was the song that had the obvious care and strongest selling point within a rather tame atmosphere that didn’t seem like it would change. Boy, did I speak too soon.
The album completely took off after that with an immense focus on melodic engagement through great motivic repetition and use of broad vocal range with important ebbs and flows of energy to completely succeed with the verse-chorus form, all while maintaining a fun sonic core of simple, exciting beats and engaging synths. It was quite a loveable retro feel, as this amount of good melodic exposure within a well-controlled, delicate synth texture was once a staple of popular music 30 years ago but has fallen off in modern times.
This album is another example of how musical techniques are timeless, and in many cases the use of obvious past ideas, in sonic organization especially, can do well to illicit strong emotional responses. Perhaps the hidden gem of this work, at least in the best songs, is how well the simple harmonic language was patterned and rhythmically vital. The songs “Like They Do On the TV” and “Lightyears” were especially great examples; they essentially use the same four chords, but it was the syncopated harmonic rhythm and strong landings on dominant or predominant chords rather than aimlessly emphasizing tonic that made the songs come alive, as well as give an easy canvas to hone in on these cool repetitive motives.
The songs “Recovery” and “Human”, even though dialing back on textural layers, found the same level of engagement and energy through wonderfully enjoyable rhythmic synths and bass, along with great memorable motives that were flexible on top of any harmonic movement beneath them. The harmonic language took a nice leap in “Version of Me”, being a strong shift in approach from energetic and simple to contemplative and complex, while milking a delicate acoustic timbre to the same level of captivation as what preceded it, allowing the music to take a nice fresh breath of beauty.
This is only one point away from greatness in my book, and I look at the songs “The Good War” and “Everybody Knows” as the culprits for that, as they did not carry the same melodic spirit or attention grabbing pitch collection as the rest of the music did, being too much of an extended sonic introduction into the true heart and soul of the work. My goodness, though, lots of this is fantastic, and it’s one of the year’s best albums. It’s filled with fun in a very intelligent and delicate way, being a listen that anyone can at least enjoy today, and some may even enjoy for a long time afterward.
