Brooke Fraser

Brutal Romantic

2015-03-05

Brook Fraser is a New Zealand pop musician and "Brutal Romance" is her fourth studio album. Most of her work to this point has been acoustic and raw. On "Brutal Romance," Fraser experiments with a darker, more electronic sound. Her strong, beautiful vocals are overlaid on infectious dance beats as well as bleaker, more ethereal soundscapes. The result is something that would sound at home on a dance floor illuminated by strobe lights.

The album opens with Fraser's bare, breathy voice and a powerful choir of background voices on "Psychosocial." The song is an intense way to open the album, confidently presenting the dramatic difference from Fraser's previous albums. The rest of the album is generally more upbeat—"Thunder" and "Kings and Queens" are both danceable, fun pop songs. Fans of Lorde or Feist will probably find themselves digging this album.

review by Marie

Quick Links:

More reviews tagged #Rock

  • reviewed 02/2010

    THE VERBS
    Trip

  • reviewed 05/2010

    JACKIE GREENE
    TILL THE LIGHT COMES

  • reviewed 07/2007

    A FINE FRENZY
    One Cell In The Sea

  • reviewed 11/2014

    Jack + Eliza
    No Wonders

  • reviewed 11/2008

    THE CLASH
    The Clash: Live at Shea Stadium

  • reviewed 10/2011

    CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH
    Hysterical

Compiled by the WYCE Journalism Club

The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.