This time out she produces the record herself, and it's hard to think that Jack Antonoff or John Congleton would have done a better job. It has a consistent sound, and lyrical depth, and it rocks hard.
The opener, Hell Is Near, is a slow, pulsing, spacey, ethereal opening with big synthesizers. Reckless is spare, sparse, and slow until the industrial ending comes crashing down. Broken Man is an almost Gaga-like pop song with loud synth and guitar bursts that are an aural assault. The obsessive (creepy?) love song Flea is another good rocker, and again, is instrumentally brutal at times. Then the electronica/dance pop of Big Time Nothing shows off her ability with a melody. Violent Times has a synth-driven James Bond theme song sound.
The armageddon of The Power's Out is another synth and guitar industrial rocker. Sweetest Fruit has a quality guitar break. So Many Planets has a strong melody and a choral chorus that is excellent. Then the record closes with the title track, a light pop, almost Tom Tom Club opening that morphs into a huge noisy chorus on the way out.
Like all of her work, it is challenging. She can turn a great lyrical phrase. She has a way with melody that is impressive even when she's making big loud noises. She is a hot guitarist even when she makes it sound like anything but a guitar. She plays a mean synth, and she can sing. And she produced a cohesive personal statement. But for me, it veers too close to a NIN industrial sound a bit too often. I'm sure it is what she intended, but I've got to go four stars instead of five. Your mileage may vary.
