Despite having a lack of stylistic variation, Supervision pleasantly shows off Elly Jackson's playful personality with a cohesive collection of sunburnt vintage synth pop tunes.
Elly Jackson's music has really been inviting, enveloping, and quite exquisite over the past decade or so under the La Roux name. Who can really forget the explosion that her debut record with Ben Langmaid would enfold back in 2009. Their attempts at creating electro pop that was both refreshing and reminiscent at the same time is difficult to master, but La Roux seemingly did just that. Hits like "Bulletproof," "In for the Kill," and "Quicksand" are still just as hard hitting as they were a decade ago. Her next record released five years later, Trouble In Paradise, was a solo affair (a departure from working with Langmaid) of vintage synth pop with emotional darkness wrapped around a tropical theme. I actually enjoyed Trouble In Paradise surprisingly more than the debut, despite the lack of huge hits on it. I really enjoyed Jackson's range vocally and instrumentally on the album. I thought the moments on the album were captivating while being absolutely gorgeous, songs like "Paradise Is You" and "Lay Me Down Gently." I was in fact curious as to where Jackson would go next. It's now been six years (!) since her last album and Supervision is the long awaited follow up.
Not surprisingly, Jackson reaches even further with even more slicked back, vintage synth pop than previously. There are no tropical vibes here this time around, but there's still an essence of fun, playful escapism that seems to be a continuation. Supervision contains a prominent instrumental palette that is all across the album with little variation in the way of shifting style or tone. There are sharp grooves matched with lyricism often quoting darkened relationship events personal to her. There are signs of confidence in leaving hurtful situations for the better on "International Women of Leisure," which arguably has one of the best instrumentals and most creative themes on the entire album. Her higher vocal register isn't the most flattering, especially when she uses it for much of the track, but the strong instrumental and hooks make up for it. "Gullible Fool," the seven-minute closer, is the album's best song. It sticks out instrumentally with its moody, glistening piano balladry and has one of her better vocal performances to date. It has a great progression, too, starting out slow and steady, then continuing to get louder and more intense.
There are also other great highlights on the album, like the playful golf themes and terminology (along with a great music video) on "Automatic Driver" and the bright, sunny hooks on the opener "21st Century." When listening from start to finish, what Supervision lacks and could really use more of is variation. The styles and sounds that Jackson is culminating are very enjoyable, fun spirited, and playful with its sunburnt synths, slick guitar, cowbell percussion, and bass. But there's a strong sense of déjà vu in terms of the instrumentals and melodies when listening to the deep cuts on here, especially on "Everything I Live for," "Otherside," and "He Rides" (essentially the majority of the second half of the record). The same ideas seem to repeat on several songs here, making the listen less rewarding than I want them to be. The songs from Trouble In Paradise each have similarities in tone, but there's a great variety in the track listing that certainly kept me engaged throughout. I do respect the cohesiveness and Jackson's "vision" of Supervision. There's not one track on the album that really sounds out of place, which is a good thing. But the album seriously could've used some stylistic shifts, some change ups, some progression in the deep cuts on this album. It could have even benefited from an additional couple of tracks, being that the record only contains just a mere eight songs total.
Despite the lack of stylistic variation, I found Supervision to be an overall enjoyable experience. There are great fun singles that show off Jackson's playful personality ("International Women of Leisure," "Automatic Driver") and ballads that once again prove her gorgeous vocal abilities ("Gullible Fool"). Supervision is kind of disappointing to be honest, considering there are only eight tracks here delivered after the six year wait. Nonetheless, I do believe that Elly Jackson's personal lyricism and craft put into this record makes it still worth your time. Let's hope that it doesn't take another half of a decade before we hear more music from La Roux. Fingers crossed!
My Rating: 6 / 10
Favorite Songs: "Gullible Fool," "International Women of Leisure," "Automatic Driver," "21st Century"
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