Kimbra
The Golden Echo

Catapulted into the spotlight and brought to media attention by Gotye with the mega-hit "Somebody That I Used to Know" in 2011, the very young singer-songwriter and composer Kimbra Lee Johnson, simply known as Kimbra, three years after that successful single and the release of her debut album "Vows", which also achieved decent and deserved success, returns to the music scene with "The Golden Echo", which, partly for real merits, partly for the lack of competition, is set to claim the title of best pop album of the year, with probably only the much-anticipated "Sparks" by Imogen Heap and the highly underrated "Water Breaks Stone" by Charlotte Martin to contend for such a title.

Those expecting a follow-up to "Vows" will, it must be said, be disappointed, as that peculiar and schizophrenic pop-jazz that characterized it is virtually absent in Kimbra's new studio work, as she abandons that sound, undoubtedly more comfortable for her, to dive headlong into completely different, experimental, and in some respects dreamlike soundscapes: listening to "The Golden Echo" indeed gives the sensation of wandering in a dream, where, guided by the versatile and energetic voice of the hostess, we are unpredictably catapulted from walks through sunny deserts to wild rides on rollercoasters. Musically, this translates into a tracklist that heavily draws from '80s and '90s pop, electronic, and black music depending on Johnson's tastes and moods, seamlessly shifting from the cybernetic hip-hop of "Goldmine" to the theatrical electro-funk à la Prince of "Madhouse" and the lively disco throb of "Miracle", without forgetting some industrial touches in "90s Music" and a dreamy ballad, "As You Are", which inevitably brings to mind the dreamiest Kate Bush of tracks like "The Man with The Child in His Eyes"; however, "The Golden Echo" is much more than a simple vintage replay of various musical genres, as the eclectic and whimsical personality of Kimbra filters everything, making any song she writes unique, whatever genre it belongs to: in the three years during which the album was developed, she has spared no effort in working with meticulous care on every single sound within it, with the result that it is practically impossible to find anything that feels like déjà vu even in the more canonical tracks like the elegant opener "Teen Heat" and the splendid mid-tempo trip-hop "Carolina", where the attempt to give the work a unique and particular sound is more evident than ever.

So, for those like me who appreciate artists who always try to give their works a unique and distinguishable identity, they will be jumping for joy when listening to the carefully crafted sounds and well-done arrangements that characterize this album (special praise should be given to the bass lines, truly remarkable!), but even those who simply want to delight in a particular pop album, unique in some respects, will undoubtedly be fascinated by "The Golden Echo", which only confirms Kimbra's talent, now fully rightfully considered one of the best pop authors of recent years and, presumably, many more to come.