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Wild Belle's Album "Isles": First Thoughts, Best Thoughts

use your Cheerios to spell "hipster"
I'm sitting with Smores trying to get a feel for the only album of 2013 (with the exception of Justin Timberlake's) I care about thus far. "Isles" dropped very recently and now it's on Spotify. Voila. So I'm streaming it. Pirating is for Somalis! 

 I have to say, so far so good. I was worried "Keep You" would be the only sustainable track. Not the case! There are a few goodies here. In fact, I'd say it's a solid debut with little to disappoint. 

 A Track-By-Track Breakdown:

 1.) "Keep You"- unfortunately, this is by far the takeaway track. It's a winner, but it's so 2012 already! A

2.) "It's Too Late"- Just as addictive as the previous song. I like it a lot, it seems to me some 1960s-meets-1990 fusion going on. And there's some SASSITUDE. In my music, I like sassitude. A- 

 3.) "Shine"- Diamond Rings meets the Ting Tings? This track aggravates me. DISLIKE BUTTON PUSH. C

 4.) "Twisted"- Instantly, I adored this goofy little song. I could see it being a good summer track. Sometimes Wild Belle's lyrics (does Natalie write them?) are a little...well they can leave something to be desired. B+
5.) "Backslider"- Is it weird I hear fragments of Stevie Nicks in her voice? This song plays up Wild Belle's formula, yeah, but it's a formula that works. Plus I like the slighly Asian-influenced percussion. A

 6.) "Happy Home"- A bleak song that reminds me of desolate Lykke Li. "I don't wanna be here/that's why I'm acting out." Aw. :/ B+

 7.) "Another Girl"- LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE. LISTEN TO THIS. IT'S AMAZING. Again, I'm reminded of the 1960s. And oh gosh I'm so articulate. Natalie has a pretty soulful voice and she can kill with it. A+

 8.) "Love Like This"- Kind of reggae-ish. At first, I thought it was going to be annoying, but it's actually not. Should they ever remake "50 First Dates," THIS track can go on the soundtrack. A

 9.) "When It's Over"- Blah. Please don't let Elliot sing like this again. C

 10.) "June"- The first time I heard this I wasn't a fan. It's not amazing, but not horrible. Kind of filler. B-

 11.) "Take Me Away"- Take it or leave it. Part of me loves it for its impishness, the other part of me is like "TAKE ME AWAY." Wa wa. B

 As you can see, I'm not a fan of the last three tracks. Although I think "Take Me Away" is a grower. Is the "50 First Dates" comparison a compliment? Who knows! 

 Overall Rating: 89/100
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