Kerli - Love Is Dead Review

Nobody asked for a mix of Björk, Natasha Bedingfield, and Evanescence's Amy Lee, but that's what Kerli offers -- served up with a touch of gothic Lolita -- on her debut album, Love Is Dead. It's an odd blend of influences, but these songs have enough quirks and enough polish (courtesy of producers David Maurice and Lester Mendez) to be mainstream and strange at the same time. At her best, Kerli brings a bewitching mix of light and shade to her music. "Walking on Air" is the finest example of her spooky yet uplifting sound: her slight Estonian accent adds a subtle otherness as childlike, whispery backing vocals that sound like they come from singing dolls hover over skittering breakbeats, while the moody, string and brass-laden bridge could have been borrowed from Björk's Selmasongs. Despite its theatricality, it's a surprisingly subtle yet catchy song. "Up Up Up" and "The Creationist," which skips along on a charming, spiraling piano loop, also show off Love Is Dead's sweetness and light....full text That Kerli Kõiv claims no musical influences aside from Björk is a tad suspicious. After hearing her debut album, Love Is Dead, it would come as a surprise to find out that Evanescence's Fallen and Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill weren't also in heavy rotation on the singer's stereo while growing up in post-Soviet Estonia. The title track is a gothic pop-rock anthem driven by heavy bass and guitars, swooping strings and Kerli's refrain of "Love don't live here anymore!," which she sings as if she's got a bag of marbles in her mouth—that is to say, exactly like Björk....full text There are many probable reasons Beck made "Modern Guilt," his concise yet deliberately cosmic collaboration with fellow shaggy pop auteur Danger Mouse. He's finishing up a long contract with his record label; he has two small kids and doesn't want to kill himself with a long, eclectic project; he's 38 and can't break dance anymore.

But let's consider an artistic one: He and the producer also known as Brian Burton share a predilection for a particular kind of sci-fi. This is their soundtrack to a film not yet made -- or maybe, accidentally to one that does exist and already has primed summer popcorn-munchers for Beck's latest explorations of modern consciousness....full text