Right around the time that Evanescence's vinyl box set (which I reviewed here) was released, Amy Lee revealed that the band would be releasing a new project in the fall that would be very different than anything that they had done in the past. She eventually revealed that the next Evanescence album would be titled Synthesis and that it would be comprised mostly of new interpretations of old Evanescence songs, subdued and revamped with strings and synths. Synthesis, which is due to drop on November 10th, will include eleven reworked songs, two new songs, and three new instrumental pieces. The first single released from Synthesis was the new version of "Bring Me to Life" (Evanescence's first ever single released from Fallen back in 2003), and while I really like it, it seemed to disappoint many fans, with some fans saying that it sounds like a studio tour version or a fanmade remix. While the Fallen version of the song begins with a piano melody with which most everyone, Evanescence fan or not, is familiar, the new Synthesis version begins with eerie, dissonant strings before Amy introduces us to the lyrics. While vocally not much different than the Fallen version, Amy's vocals are a lot more raw, almost giving the song a live quality (which I think is why some fans said that it sounds like a studio version of a live performance). The song is stripped down, featuring no guitars but instead freshly reworked with shrill and eerie strings (which sound like the score to a horror film) and synths, which hit at full power in the second verse. The synths give the song a fresh futuristic sound, making it sound like it belongs on a Resident Evil soundtrack. Diehard Evanescence fans know, however, that this is not the first time that "Bring Me to Life" has officially been in an electronic capacity, as demo versions of the song recorded before the release of Fallen were much more electronic-driven than the piano-driven final product on the album. Noticeably absent from the Synthesis version are Paul McCoy's rapping vocals. Amy, in fact, skips over those lyrics entirely and sings "Don't let me die here," whereas she eerily whispered that on the Fallen version.
The second single is a brand new song titled "Imperfection." Fans seemed to respond much more positively to this new song, with some even citing it as Evanescence's best single to date. It is definitely a lot more upbeat than the "Bring Me to Life" reworking, featuring piano, a hip hop beat, playful synths, and an uplifting orchestra. During the song's verses, Lee belts out the lyrics similarly to what she does in her electronically driven cover of Chris Isaak's "Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing." The song thematically reminds me of "Disappear" from the 2011 self-titled album, as both songs are from the perspective of someone who loves someone suffering from depression. "Disappear," in fact, features the lyric, "How much longer are you going to give into the fear?," and "Imperfection" features the lyric, "Just don't give into the fear." "Imperfection," probably not coincidentally so, arrives during the wake of beloved rock musicians like Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington recently lost to suicide: "So many things I would've told you if I knew that I was never going to see you again," Lee laments. The song also seems to address depression itself in its second verse: "The way you look us over, your counterfeit composure, pushing again and again and sinking lower and lower. The world is on our shoulders. Do you really know the weight of the words you say?" Depression has a habit of lying to those who suffer its burden, trying to convince them that they are worthless and unloved. Although doubtfully intentional, the song also reminds me of a line from the smash hit "Broken" by Seether and Amy Lee: in "Broken," Lee sings, "I want to hold you high and steal your pain," and in "Imperfection," she sings, "I want to lift you up into the light that you deserve. I want to take your pain into myself so you won't hurt." (As I said, though, I very much doubt that Amy intended to call attention to that song, given her history with Seether frontman Shaun Morgan.) I am overall very pleased with what we've heard of Synthesis so far, and I am really looking forward to hearing the entire album on November 10th!
Icelandic electronica musician Björk has finally followed up on her 2015 release Vulnicura with the haunting single "the gate," which will be found on her upcoming album Utopia (due to be released in November). (Read my review of Vulnicura here.) Björk said quite some time ago, probably last year in fact, that the new album would be the paradise to Vulnicura's hell, which makes sense because Vulnicura could definitely be described as a sort of hell, as it very closely chronicles the pain experienced right before, during, and after her split from ex-partner Matthew Barney. Utopia promises happier and more uplifting themes, and its lead single definitely seems to be an indicator. Even though "the gate" is sonically eerie and dark, its lyrics speak of the love (possibly even self-love) that comes from healing. Even on Vulnicura, a genius album nothing short of devastating, Björk offers hints of hope, seeming to offer the idea that pain makes us stronger: "Don't remove my pain; it is my chance to heal," she sings on the track "Notget." The cover art of Vulnicura shows us Björk with a hole in her chest where her heart should be (which is also imagery found in the "Lionsong" music video), representative of how the break-up made her feel emotionally. Some song lyrics referenced this feeling, as well. On the opening track, for example, she sings, "All that matters is who is open-chested and who has coagulated." It should come as no surprise, then, that Utopia's lead single features lyrics that reference her "healed chest wound." "the gate" and most likely most of Utopia are likely to show us the paradise that can oftentimes follow a hell.
I have seen some fans affectionately call "the gate" Vulnicura's tenth track because of how it seems to complete, or at least continue, its story. I agree; however, "the gate" is both sonically and thematically different from most of what a listener would hear on Vulnicura. Much of Vulnicura is made up of strings, whereas "the gate" is heavily composed of woodwinds and synths. Vulnicura deals with separation, and "the gate" deals with unity. The song, which features reverberating vocals that provide an atmospheric and dreamy effect, speaks of a wound becoming a passage through which love can pass, and throughout the chorus, Björk sings that "I care for you" as synths and strings waver eerily. This has not been confirmed, but I think that the song also references her well known 1995 hit "Army of Me." "Army of Me" was a demand that the receiver stop being so needy, to start becoming independent. Its second verse asks for "self-suffience please," and in "the gate," Björk sings in the third verse, "Didn't used to be so needy... Proud self-sufficiency." I believe this to be a callback to "Army of Me" because in "Army of Me," Björk, in the song's chorus, warns that "if you complain once more, you'll meet an army of me," and Vulnicura, in keeping with those words, is essentially a giant complaint. Björk is now saying that she better understands that neediness because of her painful experience but that getting herself through it made her stronger. I love "the gate" and cannot wait for Utopia to arrive. Björk is one of a very select few artists who can successfully pull off an eerie and somewhat dissonant song that still manages to be beautiful and harmonious. I am really looking forward to discovering what the album's overall sound is.
