Carly Rae Jepsen - E·MO·TION (2015)
See, I've been going through Carly Rae Jepsen's discography chronologically because she just interests me as a musician, but while she has plenty of catchy tunes, she also had her fair share of forgettable ones, and some of the songs that were just "good" were kind of disposable, because they were similar to other tracks, but they still kind of had their own special spot in the mainstream pop scene because she used a different type of instrumentation sometimes, briefly flirting with 80s pop by using synthesizers and occasionally slapped basslines in her music, but if "Kiss" was flirting with 80s pop, "E·MO·TION" is the wedding night.
Synthesizers, saxophones, smooth and/or slapped basslines, dreamy 80s atmospheres, and of course, catchy choruses combined with one another make up "E·MO·TION" as not a collection of songs, but a cohesive pop album that from start to finish offers something new to the mainstream, as if Taylor Swift's "1989" experimented even further with its love for 80s pop music. This, without a doubt, is a 1980s pop album recorded and released in 2015 for whatever reason, with all of today's top-notch production to back it, as to make it sound familiar, but not dated or particularly stuck in one specific decade. The melodies, instrumentals, and even lyrics are a callback to the 1980s nightlife, even if they mainly center around relationships, failing or blooming.
See, when you get an artist like Carly Rae Jepsen, you could tell her "Let's just keep recreating "Call Me Maybe" or "Good Time" until the general audience gets sick of it!" and yes, the smash-hit from this album, "I Really Like You" almost seems like it fits that description of trying to keep it in line with previous singles, which is good because the song is actually just as great as "Call Me Maybe" was, but when you actually get your filthy little paws on this album, it reveals to you its secret: The music on this album generally has TEXTURES! It's not just a catchy, bubbly drum beat with a synthesizer most of the time, and while it's not some expertly-written avant-garde album (we're gonna have to see if she goes that route the next time around), it's got a lot of genuine love for music breathed into it, and that's part of what helps this album a lot: Carly comes across as someone who grew up genuinely loving 80s pop, so for her to finally say "fuck it" and stop flirting with the idea of implementing it into her music as a subtle flavor, and actually DO IT, it's actually pretty fucking spectacular in the way that it's executed!!
Be it the R&B "All That" which takes a note from calm love songs from, you guessed it, the 1980s, or the dancey "I Didn't Just Come Here to Dance", or if we want to go even further into it, "Boy Problems" which is funky, catchy, and generally has great songwriting with lyrics that suggest self-awareness of break-up songs in the pop scene and even Carly's discography herself, Carly shows something she didn't really get to show too much before: Versatility. She essentially has the ability to blend into multiple subgenres of pop music and fit in like a chameleon, so the album isn't nonstop in-your-face sugarly sweet dime-a-dozen pop tracks, but rather, a little something for everyone who's into any form of pop music, and that, to me, is incredible. I don't even feel like I can actually talk about the tracks much, because I'm just so enthralled about this album, and I'm sure nearly every track on here could be my favorite track depending on the day. Pop albums this great are rare, and that's why I have to hammer it into your mind: IF YOU'RE INTO POP MUSIC AT ALL, EVEN JUST A SUCKER FOR THE OCCASIONAL CATCHY POP SONG, FUCKING GET THIS ALBUM!!
This album is gorgeous, catchy, innocent but sexual, and not afraid to wear its influences on its sleeve, but would even pull you aside to show you WHAT is on its sleeve in an attempt to get you to check its influences out, for no reason other than to turn you to even more great music. The best way I can describe this album is to remember back in the 1980s where neon pink wasn't seen as a "girly color" but a vibrant and joyful color that even heterosexual guys were wearing without a care in the world, and that, to me, is this album: An album that can appeal to even the most casual pop music fan without issue.
8/10
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Feel free to check out the song previews/buy this album using my Amazon Associate link!
