Over the weekend, I got an email from Tumblr with the subject line “Five blogs you won’t believe are in this email.”
One of the featured blogs was that of Banks, an alternative R&B; (or PBR&B;, depending on whom you ask) artist.
Banks’ blog fits a typically moody/mysterious Tumblr aesthetic, even featuring a black-and-white picture of her wrapped in barbed wire, and I was intrigued enough to check out her Soundcloud.
The songs were decent, but I was left with one pressing question: is this music too “sad girl” for me? As luck would have it, Banks released her first full-length album, “Goddess,” on Tuesday, giving me the perfect opportunity to settle the question.
First, an explanation: I personally can’t stand sad girl music, the sound best epitomized by Lana Del Rey. There’s a way to do feminine sadness, but the mournful crooning of Del Rey and others does nothing for me.
As Pitchfork’s Lindsay Zoladz writes, “...something about (Del Rey’s) universe feels stiflingly monochrome. It’s good to embrace your shadow, but you can't paint a lifelike picture using only shades of grey.”
After listening to “Goddess,” I’d say Banks combines sad girl lyrics with a sound similar to Lykke Li, albeit more downtempo. It’s listenable, but not something I’ll be putting in regular rotation.
Structurally, the order of the tracks on the album seems to trace the development of a relationship between two musicians, which is at times abusive and comes to no solid resolution. This conceit also ends up creating some aural disjoint between tracks, most noticeably between the last three.
Banks claims Fiona Apple as one of her major influences, but this influence is only weakly borne out in her lyrics and not at all in her sound. The lyrics struggle to rise above clichés, including lines like “I just may be too crazy to love” on “You Should Know Where I’m Coming From” and “I’d give up everything to see your face” on “F--- ‘Em Only We Know.”
However, there are some promising bright spots: “You Should Know Where I’m Coming From” also includes the line “What if I said I was built on bricks of carelessness and crumbs?” which has typical sad girl melodrama but hints at stronger lyrical talent that just didn’t make it to the surface.
“Beggin’ for Thread” is the lyrical and sonic star of the album and makes the best case that Banks has more promise than this album suggests. It pairs synths with a good bass beat and a catchy chorus and has some of the cleverest lines of the album, such as “I’m so tired of eating all of my misspoken words.”
The two most stripped down songs on the album, “Someone New” and “Under the Table,” feature no electronic styling whatsoever, instead featuring guitar and piano, respectively. They’re easy on the ears and would make for good rainy day music, even if they are a little too sentimental for my taste.
Banks’ “Goddess” hints at a promising new artist, but unfortunately the hints are subtle. She is a good listen for someone looking for a synth-heavy Lana Del Rey type, but for me, the intrigue didn’t last.
Reach the managing editor at ammedeir@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @amy_medeiros
