Album of the week: The Victorian Wallflowers By Ashbury Heights

It was a no brainer for me which album I was going to pick for my album of the week. As much as I enjoy Helix's debut album Twin, the new Ashbury Heights album was the most obvious choice. I have been listening to it every day since it dropped on Friday. I was not disappointed with The Victorian Wallflowers. I  read online comments of people bitching about the new album. Anders did not create this album for them. He made this album for himself and to express his feelings. It picks up where The Looking Glass Society album leaves off but with . This is the second album for not so new vocalist Thea F. Thime. I enjoyed her contributions on this album as much as I did on the previous album.

I can relate so much to a lot of Anders' lyrics because like me, Anders had lost his mother in the course of writing for the new album. There is nothing like losing a parent (which we  as human beings will eventually have to experienced, for some early on in their lives and for others later in life). The loss causes such a permanent feel of displacement in a person's life. I relate so much to the lyrics in such songs like "Tomorrow is Dead to Me", "The Mess I'm In", and "The Journey". Because I can relate so much to the lyrics, the songs tugs at my heart like no other album I have heard this year.

A sample from "The Mess I'm In":
FALLING DOWN A HOLE
AND PRETENDING THAT I'M IN CONTROL
MAKE IT LIKE I'M FLYING SOARING INTO PARTS UNKNOWN"

There are days when I feel like those opening lines.  And then there are days when I feel like what Anders writes in "Tomorrow is Dead to Me":

LOST IN A CYCLE
CHOKED ON A SPIRAL
ALONE IN A DARK ROOM

Musically, the album is ridiculously upbeat and I love Anders for creating music so upbeat, addictive melody-wise, and danceable despite the countless emotions he is experiencing with his own loss of his mother. To me, The Victorian Wallflowers is the best synthpop album of 2018 and is going to give Autumns' brilliant Chandelier a run for its money when it comes to who gets the top spot on my best of 2018 list.


My favorite songs:
"Headlights"
"Firebird"
"Waiting for the Fall"
"Tomorrow is Dead to Me"
"Domino"
"The Mess I'm In"
"The Journey"

Comments

Popular Posts