Released in early March, the newest album from Groove Armada entitled Black Light reveals a darker side of the electronic duo. This time around, the group collaborated with vocalists featuring Nick Littlemore and SaintSaviour. What makes this album unique is that there are no purely instrumental tracks, and there seems to be a theme that flows through each song. This theme radiates a feeling of love lost in tracks like “Cards to Your Heart” and “Not Forgotten,” both featuring vocals by Nick Littlemore.
Groove Armada seems to have achieved a balance of songs by Littlemore and SaintSaviour that express both sides of a relationship. Littlemore appears to suffer from the unwanted breakup with lyrics like “I can’t imagine why I should go on” while SaintSaviour shows her strength by singing “I came to see whether love can heal, but I won’t kneel.” What is interesting to me is that both ex-lovers are hurt and grieving in the songs they sing, while singing about each other and trying to recover. This fact makes the album more engaging for the listener if the relationship between the singers is taken into consideration.
I keep coming back to this album because of the tracks with Littlemore and SaintSaviour. Although they sing the first song, “Warsaw” together, they sing separate tracks on the rest of the CD. I feel that bringing them back together would upset the theme of the album. My favorite song featuring Littlemore is “Cards to Your Heart” because of the emotional lyrics, while my favorite song with SaintSaviour is “Paper Romance” because of the deep bass that resembles that of LCD Soundsystem. The shimmering guitar over the bass has an irresistible electronic/alternative quality.
Overall, I was pleased with this album. The songs with Littlemore and SaintSaviour are very focused lyrically and musically. I think the music accurately reflects the emotional content of the lyrics. I would recommend this album to someone who listens to alternative and electronic music.
Recommended Tracks: 2,3,4,7,9
Grade: 3 out of 5
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