Hey there Insighters, and welcome back to another musical start to the weekend! Today’s #AlbumAppreciation segment is brought to you by FKA twigs and #FiveOnFridays.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the concept, here’s the gist:

‘Album Appreciation’ is where I discuss my thoughts on an entire body of work from a musical act based on recommendations or out of personal curiosity. And to keep in-tune with the Top-5-countdown spirit of things, I rank and comment on my 5 favorite songs from said body of work.

For this music post, we’ll be diving into the other-worldly mind of English singer-songwriter Tahliah Debrett Barnett. Who is better known by her stage name, FKA twigs.

Admittedly, ‘MAGADELENE’ was my introduction to the world of FKA twigs. All I knew prior to listening to this album was that she was known for being experimental with her sound.

As well as her being in a long-term relationship with Twilight star Robert Pattinson.

In addition, I’ve seen the amount of critical acclaim this album’s lead single ‘Cellophane’ garnered. Thus, my curiosity led me here to her 2019 opus. And what a splendiferous place to be.

‘MAGDALENE’ finds FKA twigs brooding themes of love, depression, insecurities, criticism, and recovery over extraordinary production and breath-taking instrumentation.

Equally alluring are the vocal melodies that mesh so well with all the other elements that went into producing such a transcendent body of work – with no filler tracks!

Trust me Insighters, I may not have been familiar with her before this year, but you can assure I will be rifling through her discography in the months ahead.

All that said, let’s delve into my Top 5 picks from ‘MAGDALENE’.

NUMBER-FIVE [5]

‘thousand eyes’

Harmonious and encapsulating – two words simply incapable of capturing the full awe of this album’s opener.

“If I walk out the door, it starts our last goodbye/ If you don’t pull me back, it wakes a thousand eyes”, muses twigs majestically as she sets off this sequence of sounds that mesh so well together, it almost sounds like call to the altar.

She plays with these two lines throughout the track, presenting them in a myriad of swooning harmonies amidst watery, glistening production.

Additionally, her voice here is laced with anxiety and worry, delineating the song’s allusion to insecurity.

It’s a relatable nod to feeling as though you’ll be criticized by the public if you’re anything less than perfect.

On the other hand, the lyrics lend their interpretation to a relationship possibly ending in an ultimatum.

Indeed, this could be FKA twigs taking a stance, testing just how much her lover truly cares.

In either case, it’s undeniable that the intricate composition of the song will stain your eardrums for days to come.

Moreover, from the pulchritudinous melodies to the jittery, glitchy vocal effects near the end, ‘thousand eyes’ offers listeners very early-on a thousand reasons to adore this album.

Audio

Genres: Pop, Art Pop, Experimental

NUMBER-FOUR [4]

‘cellophane’

For starters, the visual paired with this song is nothing short of pure art! Second, the track’s chorus is inescapably tragic.

FKA twigs is found desperately pouring her soul, anguished by her past love.

As the downtempo keys saturate the atmosphere, twigs’ voice shines with a glaring existentialism.

“And didn’t I do it for you?/ Why don’t I do it for you?/ Why won’t you do it for me/ When all I do is for you?”, she queries, hoping her former lover has the answers to quench her thirst, her need to know why this relationship fell apart.

With rising vocals, she declares that all she wanted was to feel her lover was there, to be able to be in love without having deal with the prying, public’s eye.

Clearly, the song’s lyrical content hints at her past relationship with Edward from Twilight. It was a love under constant scrutiny, mostly by his fan base.

Nonetheless, the track further humanizes twigs, building a bridge of mutuality with listeners who too know the pain of a breakup’s aftermath.

Particularly the turmoil that breathes questioning one’s own self-worth. Albeit it posits a sense of irresolution as the album’s closer, ‘Cellophane’ does a superb job of wrapping listeners with its raw, emotional beauty.

Genres: Pop, Downtempo

NUMBER-THREE [3]

‘mary magdelene’

Undoubtedly the most conceptual piece from the tracklist, ‘mary magadelene’ offers female empowerment on a golden platter.

Drawing inspiration from biblical character Mary Magdalene (a close companion of Jesus), twigs uses her view of Mary’s closeness to Jesus to draw the ideal of equality.

Furthermore, she takes this ideal to convey the immeasurable amount of strength, grace, and care women naturally exude.

For twigs, Mary Magdalene wasn’t just some prostitute as portrayed biblically, she was a confidante of the king, someone of great value, a “creature of desire”.

“A woman’s work/ A woman’s prerogative/ A woman’s time to embrace/ She must put herself first/ A woman’s touch/A sacred geometry”, recites FKA in this robotic tone, an intriguing way to enter the song’s first verse.

Afterwards, the song begins building around this cinematic beating, paired with a groovy, abnormal production; it’s transcendence sonically personified.

Additionally, FKA’s voice through and through is serene, nurturing, highlighting the womanly charms ingrained in the roots of the song’s lyrics.

“A woman’s war/ Unoccupied history” , she chimes in the second verse. The lines speak profoundly to man’s tendency to rewrite the stories of women.

And so, with numerous lyrics to ponder on, twigs saw it fit to also mystifying us production-wise.

Indubitably, the last leg of the track contains some of the most otherworldly production I’ve ever heard. It builds organically, like a baby in the womb until it crescendos into an eargasmic odyssey.

Certainly, I can only describe it as what I’d imagine the universe giving birth would sound like.

Audio

Genres: Art Pop, Electronic, Experimental

NUMBER-TWO [2]

‘fallen alien’

A steady piano key dupes listeners into thinking they’re in store for a touching ballad.

Quickly throwing this idea out the window is this brewing turbulence of percussion, guitar and other strange noises I can’t quite put into words.

“I was waiting for you, I was outside/ Don’t tell me what you want ’cause I know you lie”, FKA twigs sings mystically, already expressing feelings of frustration.

“I feel the light”, the very alien sounding voice rings aloud. Strategically implemented, it further paints this intergalactic portrait in the minds of listeners.

Then, the sublime chorus smoothly enters orbit, highlighting the strangely alluring vocal abilities of twigs – even down to the way she enunciates alien.

It’s enticing as it resounds over simple piano keys before shooting back into a full-on auditory assault on the second verse. This is where Electronic and Hip-Hop flavors fully collide across the cosmos.

“Now you hold me close so tender/ When you fall asleep I’ll kick you down/ By the way you fell I know you/ Now you’re on your knees”, spits twigs with attitude, indicative of her having enough of her lover’s bullshit.

As the production becomes more abstract and intense, so does her viciousness in delivery. It all feels as though you’re traveling from space and crashing into Earth full-speed.

The song is simply a banger – PERIOD! It’s FKA twigs unhinged – fully embracing her authentic brand of artistry, basking in all her eccentricity.

Without a doubt, “In this age of Satan” the music world needs the oddities of FKA twigs – a true, fallen alien.

Audio

Genres: Experimental, Pop, Industrial Hip-Hop

Honorable-Mentions

  • ‘sad day’
  • ‘holy terrain’ ft. Future
  • ‘home with you’
  • ‘mirrored heart’

*NUMBER-ONE [1]

‘daybed’

Right before the album’s final track, we have ‘daybed’ – a transient cloud of pure ambiance and delight. The song literally imprisons you in a daze.

With lyrics laced with poetic phrasing, each line works symbiotically to create a moment that seems to go on forever.

“Telling is my silence/ Blurring my horizon/ Tired of my resistance/ Smothered is my distance, yeah/ Careful are my footsteps/ Possessive is my daybed” , twigs croons sweetly.

As more of the lyrical content settles, it becomes apparent the song alludes to depression (despite its cheerfully misleading composition). It’s the kind of depression that’s paralyzing.

So much so, that you can’t do anything but lie in your bed or on the sofa. You watch as everything around you becomes distorted, indistinguishable, somehow gaining new meaning.

Of course, you make attempts at bettering your mood through sleep, masturbation, and over-eating, as the song suggests.

However, nothing seems to do the trick. It’s one of those states in which you must acknowledge the fact that you’re a wreck, one who’s incapable of currently escaping your daunting emotions.

Hence, you’ve got to feel this wave of depression out.

And in doing so, in admitting that you are in such a morbid state, you activate a sense of knowing, which sets the stage for healing to manifest.

All in all, this track is a blessing – an uberly relatable experience expressed almost silently. Likewise, its accompaniment of bursting, billowing shrieks, whistles, and notes makes it my favorite track off this pretty much immaculate album.

Audio

Genres: Pop, Trip-Hop, Ambient, Art Pop

Did you enjoy today’s Album Appreciation segment? Have you given this album a listen? If so, which songs are your fave? Let me know in the comment section below.

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