Speaking Up Without A Sound

Sky Ferreira “One”

The first two times I heard this, it didn’t really work. The keyboards and vocal delivery were a bit too familiar from the past decade of icy dance pop music, and I didn’t feel like I needed more. But even the first couple times, that staccato repetition at the end of some lines stood out. And then, on the third and fourth and fifth and thiry-seventh listen, the particular charms of the song sunk in, gaining power and poignancy and ridiculous weapons-grade catchiness with each successive spin. Once it snaps together, even the most shopworn elements of the arrangement seem vibrant. The bright notes that punctuate the chorus while Ferreira’s digital voice repeats one clipped syllable is unexpectedly gorgeous, like a garish Christmas display warped into a glowing abstraction. So yes, listen to this. Listen to it a few times, at least.

Buy it from Amazon.