The concept album has seen a rebirth this century, with new-coming debut albums and established artists boasting albums that tell narratives or portray united concepts as a crucial aspect of their repertoire. No longer reserved to tales of dragons and mythical tales, or the sounds of David Bowie and Pink Floyd, concept albums have become a means for criticism, self-expression or artistic exploration. The 21st century has seen this album type make a comeback, with the following qualifying for a rank amongst the best produced since we partied like its 1999.
Crybaby // Melanie Martinez
The newest poster-child of the internet, Melanie Martinez has crafted an album loaded with the dichotomy of being both adult and childish. Her song titles and imagery are firmly rooted in the nostalgic innocence of childhood, whilst her themes stand juxtaposed within the adult world. Combining the childish call of “Mom please wake up” with “Dad is with a slut / And your son is smoking cannabis” creates a sense of lost innocence and lack of tact, assaulting your eardrums with the concept embedded throughout. The two worlds are presented side-by-side, co-existing yet also serving as two very detached stages of life.
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Martinez is evidently attempting to create distance between her reputation as a reality star, boasting a semi-successful campaign upon The Voice US. Focusing upon the childhood innocence suggested by the song titles, her visuals feature a myriad of fluffy toys and DIY, self-filmed effects to recreate a sense of the fetishisation we view our childhood with. Lyrically, the content speaks of something more twisted, in which childhood activities such as a game of tag are morphed into a sinister account of sexual assault. A reminiscence of Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber is echoed within this modernised, musical setting. Continuing on from her debut release ‘Dollhouse’, the singer continues a well thought out concept in a backdrop of hypnotic beats, ethereal vocals and sinister metaphors to create a strong conceptual album.