ELLIE GOULDING - Lights.

This singer/songwriter has been blogged and discussed online for as long as two years, with her album only just released this month, so the power of releasing tracks online has clearly been staggering. She topped the BBC’s Sounds of 2010 poll, and took the critic’s choice award at the Brits, and it does appear that the young star has, willingly or not, tatooed her name across the arse of 2010 already. NME have deemed her average and said that excessive hype is to thank for her chart topping album success, despite giving her a place on their Radar 2010 Mixtape, perhaps just as an accurate prediction or hype reaction. Such foregrounded, pre-hype has made the mainstream an unavoidable destination for Ellie Goulding, and any wishes to sneak into the limelight were completely eliminated. Along with the likes of Mumford and Sons, she has kissed the London underground folk scene goodbye, and said hello to Fern Cotton interviews. 

Lights will please fans who were looking for a record that laid her enchanting vocals on a bed of charming pop-folk and electronica, but any big ideas of this being the sound of the future would certainly seem questionable. It offers a great folk-pop sound but doesn’t move far from anything but the middle of the road. Highly successful single, Starry Eyed includes some rather gimmicky synths and sampled vocals but undoubtedly catchy power melodies. Under the Sheets is a definite addictive electro-pop love song, admirable for the bewitching lyrical hooks, and quirkyness to rub Kate Nash up the wrong way. For the less mainstream ear, ‘Wish I’d Stayed’ would definitely be the best bet, with its weighty sincerity, opening with  “why can’t we speak another language. One that we all agree on”. 

Potential pop singles like ‘Your Biggest Mistake’ cripple any denials of moulding the record to include the most mainstream of listeners and will no doubt allow for ongoing commercial success. A great first album, but it does show signs of the pop-filler which may be a struggle for some. To be recommended, but familiarise yourself with the humble skip-button. 

I sit on the fence. Which isn't normally I place I perch.