In a relatively recent glut of electronic music, Little Dragon has made it a goal to break the genre’s stereotypes. Since its self-titled debut LP in 2007, the four-person group has played an important role in the revitalization of trip-hop by creating music with added layers of depth and beauty — two elements that are missing in much of their contemporaries’ work.
A decade later, little of the group’s original power remains in “Season High.” The group’s fifth studio album, while not an obvious failure, lacks all of what made Little Dragon so notable in the first place.
It’s hard to immediately identify why “Season High” doesn’t quite feel right, and this is a testament to the group’s music-making skills. The tunes are for the most part technically well-done, with a few impressive displays of ambition and experimentation. However, by “The Pop Life,” the album’s third track and one of its least inspired efforts, it becomes clear what is missing from Little Dragon’s formula — emotion.
The group’s music has certainly — and inevitably — evolved over the past 10 years, but an emotional core always kept things grounded and resonant. This usually showed itself lyrically, with some of their now-classic hits describing such issues as the flightiness of love and the dangers of consumerism — namely “Twice” and “Pretty Girls.”
With “Season High,” the subject matter still is not shallow but strays close to cliché too often for comfort. “High” is the prime example of this — it describes a passionate love but, as the title suggests, compares it to literally being high. Add in trite lyrics like “I rest my head on your shoulder / There's nowhere else I'd rather be,” and the result is a pretty but ultimately empty track.
The trend of flashiness without real substance is unfortunately repeated throughout much of the album. “Sweet” discusses being “wrapped up in a sugar rush,” with breathy vocals and annoying chirps in the background, while “Celebrate” instructs listeners to “let love drip” and “lose your grip.” The resulting tracks make for great dancing, but terrible listening.
By the time “Season High” gets to its seven-and-a-half-minute finale “Gravity,” the listener is more than ready for it to be over — a previously unknown feeling for Little Dragon fans. The closing track does its best to redeem what came before it, but to little or no avail. The lyrics are equally uninspired — “Gravity will stop us from taking off” is repeated about 20 times too many — and the last three minutes of the song are dedicated to a gradual buildup of synthesizers and sound effects reminiscent of arcade games. This latter effect arguably works to some extent, marking the album’s most ambitious experimentation, but is far from sufficient to make the overall listening experience positive.
Little Dragon may have lost touch with the emotion of its original style, but there is no guarantee that it is lost forever. “Season High” is a reflection of its creators’ gradual shift from their humble, intimate roots to something more polished and refined, but ultimately more lifeless. Hopefully, the group can make the shift back instead of straying further.
Read More
U.Va.’s Aerial Dance Club is taking artistry to new heights
By Charlotte Walden | YesterdaySince the group’s initial founding in 2012, the club has masterfully weaved Aerial into the fabric of the University dance scene, beautifully showcasing the unique and intricate artform on Grounds.
Sofia Romulo inspires self-expression through nail art
By Melanie Chuh | 3 days agoOne of Romulo's favorite parts about doing the nails of people who have found her through social media are the memorable conversations she gets to have with those she most likely wouldn’t have met otherwise.
“The Spaces We Seek” gives a student-curated look into displacement and belonging
By Emily Pitts | 4 days agoThe year-long Museums Internships course is a special opportunity through the art history department where students interested in museum professions can learn through working at the museum.
