ALBUM REVIEWS Skin & Earth Lights For almost a decade, recording artist LIGHTS always seems to dazzle us with her artistry and mastermind. After a few releases of brilliant writing and pop/electro sounds, she’s taking us into another universe with her new concept album Skin & Earth. Skin & Earth is a soundtrack to intense pop anthems and slow ballads that are finally turning heads in top 40 realm. Perhaps it has to do with the concept of a comic book series that goes along with the album, which is brilliant and the world is loving it. While the comics are great, the album is better as it builds up into the soaring opening track “Skydiving” and continues to deliver with the sassy “Savage” and lighthearted “Until the Light”. LIGHTS is an artist that isn’t afraid to take risks, which is evident on her standout tracks “New Fears,” “We Were Here,” and “Fight Club”. The album gives off a Banks vibe with her own little twist and is quite possibly the best album in LIGHTS career. Other highlights include “Kicks,” “Giants” and “Almost Had Me”. If we’ve learned anything from listening to Skin & Earth, it’s her brilliant way of storytelling that had us from the beginning and will have us until the end of time. Download: “Fight Club,” “New Fears,” “Savage,” “Almost Had Me,” “We Were Here” Words by: Samantha Aneed
Wonderful Wonderful The Killers Island Records Five years after the release of their somewhat lackluster album, Battle Born, The Killers are back with Wonderful Wonderful - and more than a few tracks on the album really do live up to that name. Between the raging 80s-style guitars, eerie electronics, rhythmic keyboards, and earnest lyrics, this record is a balance of the type dance-floor anthems we know and love, and a new sense of vulnerability. Since the band’s 10th anniversary of Sam’s Town last year, frontman Brandon Flowers began working on a collection of more personal songs. Inspired by his wife’s battles with mental illness, Flowers wrote lead single “The Man,” about how feelings and empathy are what truly make a man. “Rut” recounts the fight against depression with deeply heartfelt lyrics, and “Life to Come” is a promise of the singer’s unwavering support of his wife. Flowers’ own stories about struggling and healing give fans a new illuminating perspective of the artist. “Run for Cover” is a pure The Killers-style power anthem that will surely be a hit during the band’s upcoming live shows. Another standout track is the ethereal ballad, “Some Kind of Love,” co-written with Brian Eno. The album caps off with the emotional track, “Have All the Songs Been Written?” (the title referring to the subject line of an email Brandon Flowers sent to U2’s Bono for guidance about songwriting). While the song starts with a dark overtone, it ends with a victorious sound. This doesn’t sound like a goodbye; it sounds like the beginning of something great from the band. Wonderful Wonderful might not be full of arena-ready chart-toppers, but The Killers are wearing their hearts on their sleeves in this collection of tracks, and we can’t wait to see which direction they go next. 3.5/5 Download: “Run for Cover,” “Some Kind of Love,” and “Life to Come” Words by: Abby Fox
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