Wreckord Reviews: Ellie Goulding's mammoth album has listeners feeling delirious

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: POLYDOR RECORDS
Ellie Goulding takes quantity over quality with an audacious 22-track album.

On Nov. 6, Ellie Goulding released her third studio album, Delirium, which has brought the British singer to the forefront of pop music once again. This may be the last storm to hit pop music for a long time as Adele’s next album looms in the distance, so let’s enjoy it before the morose pop star steals Goulding’s thunder.

While previous albums have flitted between genres, Delirium revels in the world of synth-pop with a confidence that radiates in every syllable.

Listening to the album, you’d never guess that Goulding comes from a folk background, but it has long been her secret pop-making weapon. She brings a folky focus on lyricism to the trendy realm of club music in a way that skillfully melds the worlds of catchy and creative.

The only time we catch a glimpse of her folk roots is on the bass-heavy track “Devotion”, which juxtaposes a lilting acoustic guitar with the darker club sounds of early mornings. The two worlds are bridged effortlessly with a tightly written vocal that fades into synthesizers in a manner evocative of Deadmau5.

Although there are a few tracks on Delirium that bare stark resemblances to other major players in the genre, they still stand strong in their own right. Goulding’s unique vibrato manages to personalize even the most vindictively typical pop-songs.

The only drawback to Delirium is perhaps its overall duration. With 16 tracks and a running time of just under an hour, this album should have been considered a deluxe release. While most of these songs would be considered hits for lesser artists, the true and golden Ellie Goulding hits become lost amongst a collage of filler tracks.

To make matters worse, Goulding actually released a deluxe version of this already deluxe album. This adds another six forgetful songs spanning another 20 dull minutes. The only upside to the deluxe release was having “Outside” by Calvin Harris conclude the album.

Perhaps the deluxe version should have been withheld for at least a week, so as not to overwhelm people. Sure, the hardcore fans will bask in this collection of new material but to many others, this makes for a watered down album.

Many artists today are trying to navigate that thin line between quantity and quality, but Ellie Goulding is diving headfirst into the latter.

If you’d like the condensed version of Delirium that cuts out all of the fluff, I’ve compiled a top 10 list for this extensive 22-track album.

In order of appearance:

1. “Aftertaste”

2. “Something in the Way You Move”

3. “Keep On Dancin’”

4. “On My Mind”

5. “Codes”

6. “Love Me Like You Do”

7. “Don’t Panic”

8. “Army”

9. “Lost and Found”

10. “Devotion”

Rating: 3 out of 5