Little Birdy - Hollywood (Album)

BigBigLove set big, big expectations for Little Birdy’s sophomore release, Hollywood. From myspace to Rove Live and everywhere in between, the media circus surrounding this album has been huge to say the least. But does Hollywood live up to the hype and celebrity that it’s been leading around the country of late?

In a word – yes.

From the moment you hear the plunky piano keys and wiry vocals on the album’s opening title track, you know you’re at the start of a fascinating, emotional and intense maze that is so much like Hollywood itself that you develop a mental image of what it would be like be one of the locals.

The album takes the listener on a journey through dreams. Beginning with fantasy and faraway day-dreams, through the harsh reality of unmet expectations and concluding with a reflective retrospective of the ups and downs. The songs on Hollywood address pleasure and pain - but with a dark, intriguing twist that you should come to expect.

Hollywood adeptly shows all the facets of this celebrity filled city – sparkling and glamorous on the outside but introspective, intense and impossibly dark on the inside. This collision of contrasts is captured in songs such as “C’Mon C’Mon”, an upbeat track that carries such lyrics as “Baby if you & me ain’t trying, I can’t see the point”, and the haunting Simon & Garfunkel-esque ramblings of “Better Off Alone”.

With significant contributions from all members of the band, the album carries a real sense of “all hands on deck”. Each song is deeply textured. However, this seems to create some awkward moments that don’t cohere with the rest of the song - particularly with the almost drum ‘n bass introduction to “Feeding on the Night”, and the synth lead in to “Bodies”. At this point in the album I was beginning to wonder if every song would contain a kitsch synth riff. Thankfully the guitars and vocals dominate from this song onward.

For me there were three stand out songs on the album: “Bodies”, which could very easily become the next hit single off this album, “Don’t”, a gritty, vengeful blend of punchy guitars and bittersweet vocal; and “Somebody New”, a heart wrenching ballad that discloses the sense of resignation and hopelessness that is experienced when a relationship is at its end. This is a song that many people would relate to and either find comfort in or feel a sense of loss after hearing this track.

Production on this album is superb with Katy’s vocals sitting well amongst other potential attention-grabbing instruments. It is tempting for a producer to emphasise the crispness of her voice, as occurred on BigBigLove, but this time around the vocals are mixed well to maintain her unique style, without making the album difficult to listen to in one sitting.

Overall, this is one thoroughly enjoyable and mature release. Fans of Little Birdy will not be disappointed and curious bystanders will come to adore this modern classic.

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