The Weekly Coos

Sometimes, it gets hard to hide my affinity for the independent singer-songwriter genre as they pave their way through different soundscapes to learn and grow. Amongst the many, UK singer-songwriter Birdy has been near the top of my list for faves – part of it is because of her last album, Young Heart, where her vocals were vibrant, grounded, and emotionally potent. Though her first two albums, Fire Within and Beautiful Lies, came and went without leaving much of an impression – Young Heart had a different vibe; we heard Birdy envelop a previously occupied space that beautifully complements her vocals – it weaved together these intricate, broken-apart, and grounded production that oozes Nashville’s musical essence and influences onto the instrumental chords and beats. That isn’t so much the case with Birdy’s latest album, Portraits, where it retreads to sophisticated pop, weaving atmospheric motifs without fully embracing the sound and making the most of the performances. It isn’t a constant quality where you’ll be turning your back on the music, with some highlights shining through, but this is one nostalgia trip I may not return to as frequently.

Portraits open on a high note with the song “Paradise Calling,” a wonderfully hypnotic and catchy danceable tune that sets in motion themes that we will hear reflected on by Birdy, like that of escapism in this first song or acceptance with “Heartbreaker.” Birdy isn’t one to mince around and deliver tracks that don’t trip with creative fortitude guiding them. It makes many of these songs come across as mature and focused, but when Birdy incorporates electronic notes into some of the production made me feel it never got out the best of her vocals. Some modifiers shift the perspective and overall delivery of the verses when it uses autotune reverbs to extend individual notes and make something feel everlasting. It’s a disappointing outcome as you sense there is more to Birdy than just a nostalgic trip to the melancholia of 80s Art/Snyth-Pop, except here it isn’t as memorable beyond the sounds. That is necessarily true here, but some moments showcase how gifted Birdy can be under the proper framework.

The shimmering highlights make Portraits more worthy of a listen, especially for fans who have trepidation since it doesn’t follow a sonic consistency with Young Heart; however, it does succeed in finding new ground for Birdy to explore and adapt. At times, there are elements of Baroque Pop, like on “Raincatchers;” in these moments, as she has in the past, she excels, but here, it’s more pronounced, especially in the vocal performances. A few times, I felt the influence of the 80s and early 90s, like those who brought more to the instrumental side, for example, Tears for Fears with “Mad World” or “Little Bird” by Annie Lennox, however, Birdy isn’t fully matching that energy viscerally, especially with the unmistakable influence Kate Bush has had on this sound and the way Birdy delivers it. As a major fan of the 80s pop era, there is slight nuance to the sound, specifically the in-song tempo transitions, which, unlike the music on Portraits, where Birdy, who tries to feel musically progressive, brings a good balance of forgettability, where much of it comes near the second half. Birdy has direction and meaning, but vocals usually remain the least desirable element through most of it.

Not all of Birdy’s vocal performances are feined into the production, with some being memorable through individual tweaks incorporated in the overall construction, like its shift from a more complex sound to something more wined down and purposeful like the run from “Your Arms” to “Portraits,” where beautiful Birdy’s vocals are when unphased by the glitz and glamor surrounding it, trying to do something too subtlely grandiose. However, it’s near the end, which makes the journey unsatisfying. “Battlefield,” for example, starts as an engaging piano ballad, yet when it starts to add more layers, like the glitchy electronic components, it loses you swiftly, creating something more plaid and unceremoniously forgettable, like the more straightforward pop notes of the previous song, “Automatic.” It makes one return and appreciate the run from “Your Arms” to “Portraits,” with some elements of “Ruins II” being solid too. The latter hit more because of the vocal performance replicating the same cadences of the indie folk melodies we’ve heard Birdy deliver prior.

In that run from “Your Arms” to “Portraits,” Birdy stands out more than the first three tracks, which I also enjoyed somewhat, like the opening track, where the danceable tangibles are on full display and through some wonderfully catchy melodies. But “Paradise Calling” isn’t wholly unique but works out the mesmerizing factor to the nines. However, it’s within that sequence where Birdy brings back elements from her last album, dwindling some of the production toward minimalistic acoustic territory. It gives Birdy a fantastic platform to find balance with all that surrounds her musically. The electronic components aren’t always a positive force pushing the music to be more than just this select nostalgia trip to the 80s, where, instead, it’s the minimalism within that era’s influence that we hear songs like “I Wish I Was A Shooting Star” where it’s pop rock elements shine with the grounded vocal performance Birdy gives. It leaves you in awe and especially in disarray when “Ruins II” meets you halfway with the vocals but fails to make an impact with the rest.

I didn’t totally dislike Portraits;it’s more so disappointment as this bridge Birdy finds herself on isn’t as sturdy. It makes it harder to juggle between different sonic complexions to make more of a cohesive record. It’s primarily cohesive in the first 2/3s, but it dwindles and leaves you wanting to return to Young Heart more. I know I did, especially as you hear how much more potent Birdy’s vocals can be when placed to the forefront. There is replay value with a few songs, but it’s not worth as much time as other recently released albums, like Mick Jenkins or Art School Girlfriend.